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THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


ENDOWED  BY  THE 

DIALECTIC  AND  PHILANTHROPIC 

SOQETIES 


El  85 
.J622 

iQgh 


4 


MAY  3     1973 


UNIVtHbl  I  Y  Uh  N.U.  A  I   CHAPEL  HILL 


10001313259 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


Presented 

In  Memory  Of 

Elizabeth  Rosenthal 


This  book  is  due  at  the  WALTER  R.  DAVIS  LIBRARY  on 
the  last  date  stamped  under  "Date  Due."  If  not  on  hold  it 
may  be  renewed  by  bringing  it  to  the  library. 


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A  SCHOOL  HISTORY 

(FOURTH    READER  CRADE'^ 


Negro  Race  IN  THE  United  States, 


WITH    A    SHORT   INTRODUCTION 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  RACE. 


SHORT  SKETCH  OF  LIBERIA. 


Edward  A.  Johnson,  LL.B  . 

Former  Principal  of  the  Washington  School,  Ra'.-  .gh    X.  C. 


REVISED  EDITION,  1894. 

Under  the  Supervision  of 

S.    M.   FINGER, 

Ex-State  Superintendent  of  Public  Ins^truction  of  North  Carolina,  Newtou,  N.  C. 

and 

W.   B.   KENDRICK, 

Raleigh,  N.  C. 


RALEIGH,   N.  C: 

EDWARDS   &    BROUGHTON,    PUBLISHERS. 
1894. 


Copyright,   1894, 

Kdward  a.  Johnson,  I<l. 

Raleigh,  N.  C. 


PREFACE. 


To  the  many  thousand  colored  teachers  in  our 
country  this  book  is  dedicated.  During  my  expe- 
rience of  eleven  years  as  a  teacher  I  have  often  felt 
that  the  children  of  the  Negro  race  ought  to  study 
some  work  that  would  give  them  information  on 
the  many  brave  deeds  and  noble  characters  of  their 
own  race.  In  this  particular  our  school  histories 
are  generally  deficient.  It  must,  indeed,  be  a  stim- 
ulus to  any  people  to  be  able  to  refer  to  their  ances- 
tors as  distinguished  in  deeds  of  valor,  and  pecu- 
liarly so  to  the  colored  people.  Patriotism  and 
valor  under  such  circumstances  as  those  under 
which  they  lived  possess  a  peculiar  merit  and 
beauty.  Though  a  slave,  the  Negro  shed  his  blood 
in  the  defence  of  the  government  in  those  days 
when  a  foreign  foe  threatened  its  destruction.  In 
each  of  the  American  wars  the  Negro  was  faithful, 
yes,  faithful  to  a  land  not  his  own  in  point  of  rights 
and  freedom. 

May  I  not  hope  that  the  study  of  this  little  work 
by  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  race  will  inspire  in 
them  a  new  self-respect  and  confidence?     Much,  of 


4  PREFACE. 

course,  will  depend  on  you,  dear  teachers,  into 
whose  hands  I  hope  to  place  this  book.  B}^  your 
efforts,  and  those  of  the  children,  you  are  to  teach 
from  the  truth  of  history  that  complexions  do  not 
govern  patriotism,  valor,  and  sterling  integrity. 

My  endeavor  has  been  to  shorten  this  work  as 
much  as  I  thought  consistent  with  clearness.  Per- 
sonal opinions  and  comments  have  been  kept  out. 
A  fair  impartial  statement  has  been  my  aim.  Facts 
are  what  I  have  tried  to  give,  without  bias  or  preju- 
dice; and  may  not  something  herein  said  hasten 
on  that  day  when  the  race  for  which  these  facts  are 
written,  following  the  example  of  the  noble  men 
and  women  who  have  gone  before,  shall  raise  them- 
selves to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  all  that  is  noble  in 
human  nature? 

I  respectfully  request  that  my  fellow-teachers 
will  see  to  it  that  the  word  Negro  is  written  with  a 
capital  ^V.  It  deserves  to  be  so  enlarged,  and  will 
help,  perhaps,  to  magnify  the  race  it  stands  for  in 
the  minds  of  those  who  see  it. 

E.  A.  J. 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter. 

I.  Introduction,      ...... 

II.  General  View  of  Slavery  in  the  World, 

III.  Beginning  of  Slavery  in  the  Colonies, 

IV.  The  New  York  Colony 

V.  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut 

VI.  New  Hampshire  and  Maryland 

VII.  Delaware  and  Pennsylvania, 

VIII.  North  Carolina, 

IX.  South  Carolina, 

X.  Georgia,      .... 

XI.  Habits  and  Customs  of  the  Southern  Colonies 

XII.  Negro  Soldiers  in  Revolutionary  Times,   . 

XIII.  Negro  Heroes  of  the  Revolution, 

XIV.  The  War  of  1812, 

XV.  Efforts  for  Freedom,  .... 

XVI.  Frederick  Douglass,  .... 

XVII.  Liberia 

XVIII.  Nat.  Turner  and  Others  who  vStruck  for  Freedom 

XIX.  Anti-Slavery  Agitation 

XX.  Examples  of  Underground  Railroad  Work, 

XXI.  Slave  Population  of  i860,  .         .         .         , 

XXII.  The  Civil  War, 

XXIII.  Employment  of  Negro  Soldiers, 


Page. 

7 

14 
19 
25 
26 

35 
41 
42 
47 
49 
55 
58 
65 
75 
81 

85 
89 
91 
99 
102 

103 
104 
109 


6 

CONTENTS. 

Chapter. 

XXIV. 

Page. 

Fort  Pillow ii8 

XXV. 

Around  Petersburg,   . 

121 

XXVI. 

The  Crater, 

125 

XXVII. 
XXVIII. 

Incidents  of  the  War, 
The  End  of  the  War, 

130 
137 

XXIX. 

Reconstruction —  1 865-  '68, 

140 

XXX. 

Progress  Since  Freedom,    . 

143 

XXXI. 

Religious  Progress,    . 

147 

XXXII. 

Educational  Progress, 

154 

XXXIII. 

Financial  Progress,    . 

160 

XXXIV. 

Some  Noted  Negroes, 

163 

XXXV. 

Conclusion, 

Index 

180 
I8S 

A  5CMOOL   hlSTORY 

OF  THE 

NEGRO  RAGE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES, 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

The  Origin  of  the  Negro  is  definitely  known. 
Some  very  wise  men  have  endeavored  to  assign  the 
race  to  a  separate  creation  and  deny  its  kindred  with 
Adam  and  Eve.  Bnt  historical  records  prove  the 
Negro  as  ancient  as  the  most  ancient  races.  His- 
tory, traced  from  the  flood,  makes  the  three  sons  of 
Noah — Ham,  Shem,  and  Japheth — the  progenitors 
of  the  three  primitive  races  of  the  earth.  The 
Mongolian  descended  from  Shem  and  settled  in 
Southern  and  Eastern  Asia  ;  the  Caucasian  descen- 
ded from  Japheth  and  settled  in  Europe  ;  the  Ethi- 
opian descended  from  Ham  and  settled  in  Africa 
and  adjacent  countries.  From  Ham  sprang  the 
Egyptians,  who,  probably  in  honor  of  Ham,  their 
great  head,  named  their  principal  god  Mammon  or 
Afnmon.     While   it    is  generally    agreed    that  the 


8  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Negroes  sprang  from  Ham,  his  descendants  were 
not  all  black  people.  The  color  of  the  ancient 
Egyptians  ranged  from  olive  to  dark  brown,  and 
in  their  features  they  seem  as  nearly  related  to  the 
Caucasian  as  to  the  Negro  type. 

Ham  was  the  father  of  Canaan,  from  whom 
descended  the  powerful  Canaanites  so  troublesome 
to  the  Jews.  Cush^  the  oldest  son  of  Ham,  was  the 
father  of  Nimrod,  "  the  mighty  one  in  the  earth  " 
and  founder  of  the  Babylonian  Empire.  Nimrod's 
son  built  the  unrivalled  City  of  Nineveh  in  the  pic- 
turesque valley  of  the  Tigris.  According  to  the 
Bible  statement,  "  God  created  of  one  blood  all 
nations  of  men  for  to  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  earth?'' 
It  will,  therefore,  be  seen  that  the  origin  of  the 
Negro  is  high  enough  to  merit  his  proudest  boasts 
of  the  past,  and  arouse  his  grandest  hopes  for  the 
future. 

That  the  Africans  were  once  a  Great  People  is 
shown  by  their  natural  love  for  the  fine  arts.  They 
are  poetic  by  nature,  and  national  airs  sung  long 
ago  by  exploring  parties  in  Central  Africa  are  still 
held  by  the  Africans,  and  strike  the  ears  of  more 
modern  travellers  with  joy  and  surprise. 

Ancient  Cities  Discovered  in  the  very  heart  of 
Africa,  having  well  laid  off  streets,  improved  wharfs 
and  conveniences  for  trade,  connect  these  people 
with  a  better  condition  in  the  past  than  now.   While 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  9 

many  of  the  native  Africans  are  desperately  savage, 
yet  in  their  poor,  degraded  condition  it  is  the  unan- 
imous testimony  of  missionaries  and  explorers  that 
many  of  these  people  have  good  judgment,  some 
tribes  have  written  languages,  and  show  skill  in 
weaving  cloth,  smelting  and  refining  gold  and  iron 
and  making  implements  of  war. 

Their  Wonderful  regard  for  truth  and  virtue  is 
surprising,  and  fixes  a  great  gulf  between  them  and 
other  savage  peoples.  They  learn  readily,  and, 
unfortunately,  it  is  too  often  the  case  that  evil 
teaching  is  given  them  by  the  traders  who  frequent 
their  country. 

Long  Years  Spent  in  the  most  debilitating  climate 
on  earth  and  violation  of  divine  law,  made  the 
African  what  he  was  when  the  slave  trade  com- 
menced in  the  i6th  century.  But  his  condition 
was  not  so  bad  that  he  could  not  be  made  a  good 
citizen. 

SOME    QUOTATIONS    FROM    LEADING    WRITERS    ON 
THE    NEGRO. 

"The  sphinx  may  have  been  the  shrine  of  the 
Negro  population  of  Egypt,  who,  as  a  people,  were 
unquestionably  under  our  average  size.  Three  mil- 
lion Buddhists  in  Asia  represent  their  chief  deity, 
Buddha,  with  Negro  features  and  hair.     There  are 


10  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

two  Other  images  of  Buddha,  one  at  Ceylon  and  the 
other  at  Calanse,  of  which  Lieutenant  Mahoney 
says:  'Both  these  statues  agree  in  having  crisped 
hair  and  long,  pendant  ear-rings.'" — Morton. 

"The  African  is  a  man  with  every  attribute  of 
humankind.  Centuries  of  barbarism  have  had  the 
same  hurtful  effects  on  Africans  as  Pritchard  de- 
scribes them  to  have  had  on  certain  of  the  Irish 
who  were  driven,  some  generations  back,  to  the  hills 
in  Ulster  and  Connaught" — the  moral  and  physical 
effects  are  the  same. 

"  Ethnologists  reckon  the  African  as  b}^  no  means 
the  lowest  of  the  human  family.  He  is  nearly  as 
strong  physically  as  the  European  ;  and,  as  a  race, 
is  wonderfully  persistent  among  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  Neither  the  diseases  nor  the  ardent  spirits 
which  proved  so  fatal  to  the  North  American  In- 
dians, the  South  Sea  Islanders  and  Australians, 
seem  capable  of  annihilating  the  Negroes.  They 
are  gifted  wnth  physical  strength  capable  of  with- 
standing the  severest  privations.  Many  w^ould 
pine  away  in  a  state  of  slavery.  No  Krooman  can 
be  converted  into  a  slave,  and  yet  he  is  an  inhabit- 
ant of  the  low,  unhealthy  west  coast;  nor  can  any 
of  the  Zulu  or  Kaffir  tribes  be  reduced  to  bondage, 
though  all  these  live  in  comparatively  elevated 
regions.  We  have  heard  it  stated  by  men  familiar 
with  some  of  the  Kaffirs,  that  a  blow  given,  even 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  11 

in  play,  by  a  European,  must  be  returned.  A  love 
of  liberty  is  observable  in  all  who  have  the  Zulu 
blood,  as  the  Makololo,  the  Watuta.  But  blood 
does  not  explain  the  fact.  A  beautiful  Barotse 
woman  at  Naliele,  on  refusing  to  marry  a  man 
whom  she  did  not  like,  was,  in  a  pet,  given  l)y  the 
head  man  to  some  Mambari  slave  traders  from  Ben- 
guela.  Seeing  her  fate,  she  seized  one  of  their 
spears,  and,  stabbing  herself,  fell  dead." — Living- 
ston's Works. 

"  In  ancient  times  the  blacks  were  known  to  be 
so  gentle  to  strangers  that  many  believed  that  the 
gods  sprang  from  them.  Homer  says  that  when 
Jupiter,  father  of  the  gods,  wishes  to  take  a  holi- 
day, he  visits  the  sea,  and  goes  to  the  banquets  of  the 
blacks — a  people  humble,  courteous  and  devout." 

EXTRACT   FROM   AN   ACCOUNT   OF   AFRICAN   WOMEN   BY  MRS.  FRANK 
SHELDON,    A    NOTED   AFRICAN    EXPLORER. 

"In  many  of  these  villages  (meaning  African  villages)  the  people 
wore  not  a  shred  of  clothing,  and  yet  their  manner  was  such,  their 
perfect  unconsciousness  so  great  that  it  was  impossible  to  take  offense 
for  they  had  none  among  themselves.  I  made  some  inquiries  and 
found  that  their  code  of  morals  was  perfect,  and  that  licentiousness 
as  we  know  it  does  not  exist.  To  be  sure  some  of  them  practice 
polygamy,  but  the  husbands  and  their  wives  live,  according  to  their 
laws,  in  a  perfectly  pure  state  of  domestic  happiness.  One  of  the 
most  impressive  lessons  I  think  I  received  in  that  country  was  tliat 
of  the  purity  of  the  morals  of  these  uncontaminated  people,  and  I 
wonder  if  it  is  true  that  those  whom  I  call  the  naturals  are  after  all 
the  only  virtuous  people,  taking  them  right  through  and  through, 
that  are  to  be  found."— i^/-^.  Erafik  Sheldon. 


12  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

THE   CURSE   OF    NOAH   WAS    NOT   DIVINE  ! 

The  following  passage  of  Scripture  has  been  much  quoted  as  an 
argument  to  prove  the  origin  and  inferiority  of  the  Negro  race. 
"  And  Noah  began  to  be  an  husbandman,  and  he  planted  a  vineyard  : 
and  he  drank  of  the  wine,  and  was  drunken  and  was  uncovered  in 
his  tent,  and  Ham,  the  father  of  Canaan,  saw  the  nakedness  of  his 
father,  and  told  his  two  brethren  without,  and  Shem  and  Japheth 
took  a  garment  and  laid  it  upon  both  their  shoulders,  and  went  back- 
ward and  covered  the  nakedness  of  their  father  ;  and  their  faces  were 
backward,  and  they  saw  not  their  father's  nakedness,  and  Noah 
awoke  from  his  wine,  and  knew  what  his  younger  son  had  done  unto 
him,  and  he  said.  Cursed  be  Canaan  ;  a  servant  of  servants  shall  he 
be  unto  his  brethren.  And  he  said :  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of 
Shem,  and  Canaan  shall  be  his  servant.  God  .shall  enlarge  Japheth, 
and  he  shall  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem,  and  Canaan  shall  be  his 
servant." 

After  the  flood  Noah's  special  mission  as  a  preacher  to  the  people 
was  over.  He  so  recognized  it  himself,  and  settled  himself  down 
with  his  family  on  a  vineyard.  He  got  drunk  of  the  wine  he  made. 
A  drunken  prophet  strikes  the  mind  with  ridicule  !  Yet,  such  was 
Noah  then,  if  a  prophet  at  all,  and  such  the  character  of  that  prophet 
whom  biased  minds  have  chosen  as  the  expounder  of  a  curse  on  the 
Negro  race.  It  is  not  strange  that  so  few  people  have  championed 
the  curse  theory  of  the  race,  when  we  think  that  in  so  doing  they 
must  at  the  same  time  endorse  Noah's  wickedness. 

But,  aside  from  this,  the  so-called  prophecy  of  Noah  has  not 
become  true.  The  best  evidence  of  a  prophecy  is  its  fulfillment. 
Canaan's  decendants  have  often  conquered,  though  Noah  seemed  to 
prophesy  that  they  would  not.  Goodrich  makes  the  Canaanites,  so 
powerful  in  the  fortified  cities  of  Ai  and  Jericho,  the  direct  descend- 
ants of  Canaan.  They  were  among  the  most  powerful  people  of 
olden  times.  They  and  their  kindred  built  up  Egypt,  Phoenicia,  the 
mother  of  the  alphabet,  and  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  the  two  most 
wonderful  of  ancient  cities.  The  Jews,  God's  chosen  people,  were 
enslaved  by  the  kindred  of  Canaan  both  in  Egypt  and  Babylon. 
Melchizedek  (King  of  Righteousness),  a  sacred  character  of  the  Old 
Testament,  was  a  Canaanite.  So,  rather  than  being  a  race  of  slaves, 
as  Noah  seemed  to  predict,  the  Canaanitish  people  have  been  a  great 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  13 

people.  The  great  nations  of  antiquity  were  in  and  around  Eastern 
Africa  and  Western  Asia.  These  nations  sprang  from  the  four  sons 
of  Ham — Cush,  Mizarim,  Phut  and  Canaan.  The  Cushites  were 
Ethiopians,  who  lived  in  Abyssinia.  The  Mizarimites  were  Egypt- 
ians, who  lived  in  Egypt,  and  were  so  distinguished  for  greatness. 
The  Canaanites  occupied  the  country  including  Tyre  and  Sidon  and 
stretching  down  into  Arabia  as  far  as  Gaza  and  including  the  prov- 
ince of  the  renowned  Queen  of  Sheba.  We  contend  that  Noah  did 
not  utter  a  prophecy  when  he  spoke  to  Canaan  as  quoted  above  from 
the  Scriptures.  It  seems  hardly  necessary  in  this  age  of  enlighten- 
ment to  refer  to  the  Curse  Theory  argued  so  persistently,  but  still  there 
are  those  who  yet  believe  it. 

The  Color  Theory  was  also  quite  popular  formerly  as  an  argument 
in  support  of  the  curse  of  Noah.  We  hold  that  the  color  of  the  race 
is  due  to  climatic  influences,  and  in  support  of  this  view  we  quote  in 
reference  to  Africa  as  follows  :  "As  we  go  westward  we  observe  the 
light  color  predominating  over  the  dark  :  and  then,  again,  when  we 
come  within  the  influence  of  the  damp  from  the  sea  air,  we  find  the 
shade  deepened  into  the  general  blackness  of  the  coast  population." 

There  are  five  distinct  types  of  races.  The  Caucasian  is  white  ; 
the  Mongolian,  yellow  ;  the  Malay,  brown  ;  the  American  Indian, 
red  ;  and  the  Ethiopian,  black.  The  wisest  of  men  have  always  been 
puzzled  to  account  for  these  different  colors  of  the  races  of  mankind, 
all  from  the  same  common  ancestry.  Those  who  hold  to  the  curse 
theory  to  explain  the  blackness  of  the  Negro  might  be  embarrassed 
if  asked  to  account  for  the  distinct  colors  of  the  other  races.  They 
would  not  find  in  the  Bible  any  similar  curse  by  which  to  account  for 
the  other  colors,  and  they  would  not  be  able  in  any  way  to  connect  the 
other  races  with  Canaan  and  so  make  Noah's  supposed  curse  account 
for  the  colors.  It  would  seem  that  no  better  explanation  can  be 
given  than  climatic  influences  and  habits  of  life. 


14  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  IT. 

GENERAL  VIEW  OF  SLAVERY  IN  THE 
WORLD. 

Before  we  proceed  to  the  study  of  the  Negro  in 
the  Colonies  and  in  the  United  States,  it  may  be 
well  to  glance  at  the  subject  of  slavery  in  ancient 
times. 

From  the  earliest  dawn  of  history  slavery  existed 
in  some  form,  and  it  was  not  circumscribed  by  color 
or  race  lines.  It  was  rather  a  question  of  physical 
power,  and  the  number  of  slaves  was  very  great  as 
compared  with  those  who  owned  and  controlled 
them. 

Even  in  cultured  Greece  and  Rome  there  were 
slaves  from  various  causes  as  follows : 

1.  By  capture  in  war  ; 

2.  By  birth,  that  is,  slavery  was  hereditary  ; 

3.  By  sale  of  children  by  their  parents  ; 

4.  By  judicial  sentence  for  crime  ; 

5.  By  commerce,  that  is,  slaves  were  bought  and 
sold  for  gain  ; 

6.  By  failure  to  pay  debts,  etc. 

Slavery  was  interwoven  into  the  whole  life  of 
the  people  in  all  ages  until  comparatively  recent 
times,  whether  we  consider  the  life  of  savages  or 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  15 

civilized  peoples.  Its  character  was  of  the  most 
abject  kind,  and  involved  the  most  severe  and 
menial  labor.  Even  under  the  old  Roman  law,  the 
master  had  such  authority  over  his  slaves  as 
allowed  him  to  put  them  to  death. 

As  we  come  down  through  the  Middle  Ages  slave- 
ry gradually  gave  way  to  serfdom  ;  and  finally 
serfdom  disappeared,  and  in  modern  times  personal 
freedom  has  been  almost  universall}^  declared  in 
civilized  nations. 

The  progress  from  slavery  to  freedom  was  very 
slow.  For  thousands  of  years  Negroes  had  been 
sold  from  the  eastern  coast  of  Africa  to  Arabia, 
Persia,  India,  the  Barbary  States,  Egypt  and  Asia 
Minor.  After  the  discovery  of  America  they  were 
sold  from  the  western  coast  of  Africa  to  the  West 
Indies,  Brazil — to  all  the  American  colonies,  which 
were  under  the  control  of  the  British,  French, 
Spaniards,  Dutch  and  Portuguese. 

About  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century  the  Por- 
tuguese began  the  Western  African  slave  trade  by 
selling  Negroes  to  the  Spaniards,  and  soon  there- 
after the  Spaniards  introduced  the  children  of  these 
slaves  into  their  colonies  in  the  West  Indies.  It 
was  not  long  after  this  introduction  of  Negro  slaves 
into  the  colonies  of  the  newly-discovered  western 
world  until  the  slave  trade  was  eagerly  engaged  in, 
and  none  of  the  governments  of  the  old  world  inter- 


16  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

fered  or  considered  it  wrong,  although  they  were 
largely  under  the  influence  of  the  Christian  Church. 
This  can  be  accounted  for  by  considering  the  firm 
hold  that  slavery  had  upon  the  world  and  the 
ufifortunate  condition  of  the  Negroes  themselves. 
Perhaps  it  was  in  most  cases  the  weakest  of  the 
Negro  tribes  in  Africa  that  were  conquered  b}^  their 
neighbors,  and  by  them  sold  to  the  white  slave 
traders. 

In  1792  Denmark  led  off  in  the  abolition  of  the 
slave  trade;  England  followed  in  1807,  and  the 
United  States  in  1808.  After  the  abolition  of  the 
slave  trade  by  these  and  other  nations  that  made  it 
unlawful  to  bring  slaves  from  Africa  and  sell  them 
in  the  markets  of  the  world,  there  remained  the 
great  problem  of  freeing  those  slaves  that  had  been 
bought  and  were  owned  by  individual  citizens. 
This  problem  will  be  considered  in  this  book. 

While  it  seems  strange  to  people  of  this  genera- 
tion that  Negro  slavery  should  ever  have  existed, 
yet  the  wonder  will  not  appear  so  great  if  we  con- 
sider that  slavery  in  some  form  is  as  old  as  history. 
While  the  conscience  of  the  civilized  world  either 
approved  or  tolerated  Negro  slavery,  the  traffic  in 
slaves  went  on.  Men  invested  their  money  in  them 
and  naturally  were  slow  to  set  them  free  or  allow 
the  Government  to  do  so.  So  the  conflict  between 
conscience  and  self-interest  grew. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  17 

The  Negroes  became  more  intelligent  by  contact 
with  the  whites,  aud  so  more  and  more  did  it  become 
necessary  that  repressive  measures  be  adopted  to 
keep  them  in  subjection.  This  fact  accounts  for 
the  harsh  means  that  were  sometimes  adopted  to 
keep  them  to  their  labor  and  to  keep  them  from 
running  away  from  their  masters.  In  the  United 
States  the  usual  means  adopted  was  whipping,  but 
sometimes  other  and,  perhaps,  more  severe  punish- 
ment was  used.  The  master,  however,  did  not 
have  authority  to  put  his  slave  to  death. 

That  the  Negroes  were  improved  during  their 
term  of  slavery  in  the  United  States  is  admitted, 
but  the  time  came  when  they  were  to  be  set  free 
and  given  opportunity  more  rapidly  to  improve  as 
citizens  of  a  great  Republic.  There  are  persons 
who  believe  that  a  term  of  slavery  was  realh^  the 
best  means  of  starting  the  Negroes  on  the  road  to 
civilization  and  citizenship ;  and  there  are  also 
those  who  believe  that  the  Negro's  experience  and 
training  in  the  United  States  are  to  result  in  the 
more  speedy  civilization  of  his  brethren  in  Africa. 
So  let  us  approach  the  study  of  the  Negro  in  the 
United  States  with  toleration,  and  free  from  preju- 
dice. 

As  to  the  hand  of  Providence  in  it  all,  let  us  weigh 
the  following  words  of  Dr.  A.  G.  Haygood : 

"  Let    me    ask,    and    let    sober    people    answer, 


18  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

wlietlier  the  wild  Africans  were  fitted  for  freedom 
when  they  were  first  landed  from  the  slave-ships 
that  brought  them  from  their  savage  homes  to  the 
plantations.  Were  not  their  American  masters, 
unworthy  of  their  sacred  trust,  as  many  of  them 
were,  better  fitted,  judged  by  any  test,  to  prepare 
these  people  for  freedom  than  were  their  African 
masters  and  conquerors  who  sold  them  to  the 
slavers  ?  For  what  is  generally  forgotten  should 
be  always  remembered — most  of  the  Negroes  sold 
into  slavery  in  America  were  brought  from  slavery 
in  Africa.  And  surely  I  do  not  go  too  far  when  I 
say  American  slavery  was  freedom  compared  with 
the  slavery  from  which  they  were  taken." 

"  One  may  be  entirely  consistent  when  he  says, 
I  recognize  the  hand  of  Providence  in  the  coming 
to  this  coiaitry  of  several  thousands  of  savage  and 
heathen  Africans ;  I  recognize  the  hand  of  Provi- 
dence in  the  circumstances  of  their  enslavement 
in  such  a  country  and  among  such  a  people^  and  I 
rejoice  now,  and  thank  God  from  day  to  day,  that 
this  same  Providence  has  set  them  free  forever.  If 
any  object,  he  must  say,  either  Providence  was  not 
in  their  comings  their  enslavement^  or  their  emanci- 
pation y 


\ 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   BEGINNING   OF  SLAVERY   IN  THE 
COLONIES. 

VIRGINIA. 

Slavery  existed  in  the  Colonies  by  custom  and  not 
by  law.  It  did,  however,  exist  in  the  colonies. 
Slavery  was  a  custom  of  the  world,  and  whoever 
desired  to  do  so  brought  Negroes  to  the  colonies 
and  sold  them  to  any  person  who  would  buy,  there 
being  no  law  to  forbid  it.  After  they  were  intro- 
duced it  became  necessary  to  pass  laws  to  regulate 
and  control  them.  So  in  the  statutes  of  all  the  colo- 
nies, except  Vermont,  there  will  be  found  laws 
which  recognize  slaver}^  as  a  fact  existing  at  the 
time  of  their  enactment. 

The  first  Negroes  landed  at  Jamestown,  Va.  In 
the  year  1619,  a  Dutch  trading  vessel,  being  in 
need  of  supplies,  weighed  anchor  at  Jamestown, 
and  exchanged  fourteen  Negroes  for  food  and  sup- 
plies. The  Jamestown  people  made  slaves  of  these 
fourteen  Negroes,  but  did  not  pass  any  law  to  that 
effect  until  the  year  1662,  when  the  number  of 
slaves  in  the  colony  was  then  nearly  2,000,  most  of 
whom  had  been  imported  from  Africa. 


20  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

How  They  were  Employed.  The  Jamestown 
colony  early  discovered  the  profits  of  the  tobacco 
crop,  and  the  Negro  slaves  were  largely  employed 
in  this  indnstry,  where  they  proved  very  profitable. 
They  were  also  enlisted  in  the  militia,  but  could 
not  bear  arms  except  in  defence  of  the  colonists 
against  the  Indians.  A  large  part  of  the  manual 
labor  of  all  kinds  was  performed  by  the  slaves. 

The  Slaves  Imported  came  chiefly  from  the  west 
coast  of  Africa.  They  were  crowded  into  the  holds 
of  ships  in  droves,  and  often  suffered  for  food  and 
drink.  Many,  when  opportunity  permitted,  would 
jump  overboard  rather  than  be  taken  from  their 
homes.  Various  schemes  were  resorted  to  by  the 
slave-traders  to  get  possession  of  the  Africans. 
They  bought  many  who  had  been  taken  prisoners 
by  stronger  tribes  than  their  own ;  they  stole 
others,  and  some  they  took  at  the  gun  and  pistol's 
mouth. 

Many  of  the  Captives  of  the  slave-traders  sold 
in  this  country  were  from  tribes  possessing  more  or 
less  knowledge  of  the  use  of  tools.  Some  came 
from  tribes  skilled  in  making  gold  and  ivory  orna- 
ments, cloth,  and  magnificent  steel  weapons  of  war. 
The  men  had  been  trained  to  truthfulness,  honesty, 
and  valor,  while  the  women  were  virtuous  even 
unto  death.  Their  system  of  marrying  off  the 
young  girls  at  an  early  age,  and  thus  putting  them 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  21 

under  the  guardianship  of  their  husbands,  is  a  pro- 
tection to  them;  and  the  result  is  plainly  seen  b^^ 
travellers  who  testify  positively  to  the  uprightness 
of  the  women. 

The  Ancestors  of  the  American  Negroes,  though 
savage  in  some  respects,  M^ere  not  so  bad  as  many 
people  think.  The  native  African  had  then,  and 
he  has  now,  much  respect  for  what  we  call  law  and 
justice.  This  fact  is  substantiated  by  the  numerous 
large  tribes  existing,  individuals  of  which  grow  to 
be  ver}^  old,  a  thing  that  could  not  happen  were 
there  the  wholesale  brutalism  which  we  are  some- 
times told  exists.  All  native  Africans  universally 
despise  slavery,  and  even  in  Liberia  have  a  con- 
tempt for  the  colored  people  there  who  were  once 
slaves  in  America. 

The  Jamestown  Slaves  were  doomed  to  servitude 
and  ignorance  both  by  law  and  custom ;  they  were 
not  allowed  to  vote,  and  could  not  be  set  free  even 
by  their  masters,  except  for  "some  meritorious 
service."  Their  religious  instruction  was  of  an 
inferior  order,  and  slaves  were  sometimes  given  to 
the  white  ministers  as  pay  for  their  services. 

The  Free  Negroes  of  Jamestown  were  afterwards, 
in  some  respects,  in  a  similar  condition  to  that  of 
the  slaves.  They  could  vote  and  bear  arms  in 
defence  of  the  colony,  but  not  for  themselves. 
They  were  taxed  to  bear  the  expenses  of  the  gov- 


88  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

ernment,  but  could  not  be  educated  in  the  schools 
they  helped  to  build.  Some  of  them  managed  to 
acquire  some  education  and  property. 

The  Negro  Heroes  who  may  have  exhibited  their 
heroism  in  many  a  daring  feat  during  the  early 
history  of  Jamestown  are  not  known.  Judging, 
however,  from  the  records  of  later  years,  we  may 
conclude  that  the  Negro  slaves  of  Jamestown  were 
not  without  their  Banneka  or  Blind  Tom.  Certainly 
their  labor  was  profitable  and  may  be  said  to  have 
aided  much  in  building  up  the  colony. 

When  John  Smith  became  Governor  of  the  James- 
town colony,  there  were  none  but  white  inhabit- 
ants ;  their  indolent  habits  caused  him  to  make  a 
law  declaring  that  "  he  who  would  not  work  should 
not  eat."  Prior  to  this  time  the  colony  had  not 
prospered,  but  with  the  help  of  slave  labor  it  grew 
prosperous  and  recovered  from  its  hardships. 

Thomas  Fuller,  sometimes  called  "  the  Virginia 
Calculator,"  must  not  be  overlooked  in  speaking  of 
the  record  of  the  Virginia  Negro.  He  was  stolen 
from  his  home  in  Africa  and  sold  to  a  planter  near 
Alexandria,  Va.  His  genius  for  mathematics  won 
for  him  a  great  reputation.  He  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  such  men  as  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  of  Phila- 
delphia, who,  in  company  with  others,  was  passing 
through  Virginia.  Tom  was  sent  for  by  one  of 
the  company  and  asked,  how  many  seconds  a  man 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  23 

of  seventy  years,  some  odd  months,  weeks  and 
days,  had  lived  ?  He  gave  the  exact  number  in 
a  minute  and  a  half.  The  gentleman  who  questioned 
him  took  his  pen,  and  after  some  figuring  told  him 
he  must  be  mistaken,  as  the  number  was  too  great, 
"  Top,  massa  !"  cried  Tom,  "  you  hab  left  out  the 
leap  year" — and  sure  enough  Tom  was  correct. — 
Williams. 

The  following  was  published  in  several  newspa- 
pers when  Thomas  Fuller  died  : 

"  Died. — Negro  Tom,  the  famous  African  Cal- 
culator, aged  80  years.  He  was  the  property  of 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Cox,  of  Alexandria.  Tom  was  a 
very  black  man.  He  was  brought  to  this  country 
at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and  was  sold  as  a  slave  with 
many  of  his  unfortunate  countrymen.  This  man 
was  a  prodigy  ;  though  he  could  neither  read  nor 
write,  he  had  perfectly  acquired  the  use  of  enumer- 
ation. He  could  give  the  number  of  months,  days, 
weeks,  hours,  minutes  and  seconds  for  any  period 
of  time  that  a  person  chose  to  mention,  allowing  in 
his  calculations  for  all  the  leap  years  that  happened 
in  the  time.  He  would  give  the  number  of  poles, 
yards,  feet,  inches  and  barleycorns  in  a  given  dis- 
tance— say  the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit — and 
in  every  calculation  he  would  produce  the  true 
answer  in  less  time  than  ninety-nine  out  of  a  hun- 
dred men  would  take  with  their  pens.     And  what 


24  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

was,  perhaps,  more  extraordinary,  though  inter- 
rupted in  the  progress  of  his  calculations  and 
engaged  in  discourse  upon  any  other  subject,  his 
operations  were  not  thereby  in  the  least  deranged. 
He  would  go  on  where  he  left  off,  and  could  give 
any  and  all  of  the  stages  through  which  his  calcu- 
lations had  passed.  Thus  died  Negro  Tom,  this 
untaught  arithmetician,  this  untutored  scholar. 
Had  his  opportunities  of  improvement  been  equal 
to  those  of  thousands  of  his  fellow-men,  neither 
the  Royal  Society  of  London,  the  Academy  of 
Sciences  at  Paris,  nor  even  a  Newton  himself  need 
have  been  ashamed  to  acknowledge  him  a  brother 
in  science." 

How  many  of  his  kind  might  there  have  been 
had  the  people  of  Jamestown  seen  fit  to  give  the 
Negroes  who  came  to  their  shores  a  laborer's  and 
emigrant's  chance,  rather  than  enslavi»ng  them  ! 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  25 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  NEW  YORK  COLONY. 

The  enslavement  of  the  Negro  seems  to  have 
commenced  in  the  New  York  Colony  about  the  same 
time  as  at  Jamestown  (1619).  The  slaves  were 
used  on  the  farms,  and  became  so  profitable  that 
about  the  time  the  English  took  the  colony  from 
the  Dutch,  1664,  there  was  a  great  demand  for 
slaves,  and  the  trade  grew  accordingly. 

The  Privileges  of  the  Slaves  in  New  York  were, 
for  a  while,  a  little  better  than  in  Virginia.  They 
were  taken  into  the  church  and  baptized,  and  no 
law  was  passed  to  prevent  their  getting  an  educa- 
tion. But  the  famous  Wall  Street,  now  the  finan- 
cial centre  of  the  New  World,  was  once  the  scene 
of  an  auction  block  where  Indians  and  persons  of 
Negro  descent  were  bought  and  sold. 

The  Riot  of  1712  shows  the  feeling  between  the 
master  and  servant  at  that  time.  The  Negro  popu- 
lation being  excluded  from  schools,  not  allowed  to 
own  land,  even  when  free,  and  forbidden  to  "strike 
a  Christian  or  Jew"  in  self-defence,  and  their  testi- 
mony excluded  from  the  courts,  arose  in  arms  and 
with  the  torch;  houses  were  burned,  and  many 
whites  killed,  before  the  militia  suppressed  them. 
Many  of  the  Negroes  of  New  York  were  free,  and 
many  came  from  the  Spanish  provinces. 


26  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  V. 

MASSACHUSETTS,  RHODE  ISLAND,  AND 
CONNECTICUT. 

Negro  slavery  existed  in  Massachusetts  as  early 
as  1633.  The  Puritan  fathers  who  came  to  this 
country  in  search  of  liberty,  carried  on  for  more 
than  a  century  a  traffic  in  human  flesh.  The  New- 
England  ships  of  the  lytli  century  brought  cargoes 
of  Negroes  from  the  west  coast  of  Africa  and  the 
Barbadoes.  They  sold  many  of  them  in  New 
England  as  well  as  in  the  Southern  colonies.  In 
1764  there  were  nearly  6,000  slaves  in  Massachu- 
setts, about  4,000  in  Rhode  Island,  and  the  same  in 
Connecticut. 

The  Treatment  of  the  slaves  in  these  colonies  at 
this  time  was  regulated  by  laws  which  classed  them 
as  property,  "being  rated  as  horses  and  hogs." 
They  could  not  bear  arms  nor  be  admitted  to  the 
schools.  They  were  baptized  in  the  churches,  but 
this  did  not  make  them  freemen. 

Better  Treatment  was  given  the  slaves  as  the 
colonies  grew  older  and  were  threatened  with  wars. 
It  was  thought  that  the  slaves  might  espouse  the 
cause  of  the  enemy,  and  for  this  reason  some  leni- 
ency was  shown  them,  and  the  conscience  of  the 
people  was  also  being  aroused. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  27 

Judge  Samuel  Sewall,  a  Chief  Justice  of  Massa- 
chusetts wrote  a  tract  in  1700  warning  the  people 
of  New  England  against  slavery  and  ill  treatment 
of  Negroes.  He  said:  "Forasmuch  as  Liberty  is 
in  real  value  next  unto  Life,  none  ought  to  part 
with  it  themselves,  or  deprive  others  of  it,  but  upon 
most  mature  consideration." 

Judge  Sewall's  tract  greatly  excited  the  New 
England  people  on  the  subject  of  emancipating 
their  slaves.  "The  pulpit  and  the  press  were  not 
silent,  and  sermons  and  essays  in  behalf  of  the 
enslaved  Africans  were  continually  making  their 
appearance." 

The  Slaves  themselves,  aroused  by  these  favorable 
utterances  from  friendly  people,  made  up  petitions, 
which  they  presented  with  strong  arguments,  for 
their  emancipation.  A  great  man}'  slaves  brought 
suits  against  their  masters  for  restraining  them  of 
their  libert3\  In  1774  a  slave  "of  one  Caleb  Dodge," 
of  Essex  County,  brought  suit  against  his  master, 
praying  for  his  liberty.  The  jury  decided  that 
there  was  "  no  law  in  the  Province  to  hold  a  man  to 
serve  for  life,"  and  the  slave  of  Caleb  Dodge  won 
the  suit. 

Felix  Holbrook  and  other  slaves  presented  a  peti- 
tion to  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives 
in  1773,  asking  to  be  set  free  and  granted  some 
unimproved  lands  where  they  might  earn  an  honest 


28  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

living  as  freemen.  Consideration  of  this  petition 
was  delayed  a  year.  It  was  finall3^  granted,  but 
the  Englisli  Governors,  Hutchinson  and  Gage, 
refused  to  sign  it. 

British  Haired  to  Negro  freedom  thus  made  itself 
plain  to  the  New  England  slaves,  and  a  few  years 
later,  when  England  fired  her  guns  to  subdue  the 
revolution  begun  at  Lexington,  the  slave  popula- 
tion enlisted  largely  in  the  defence  of  the  colonists. 
And  thus  the  Negro  slave,  by  valor,  patriotism  and 
industry,  began  to  loosen  the  chains  of  his  own 
bondage  in  the  Northern  colonies. 

PHILUS    WHEATLEY. 

Before  passing  from  the  New  England  colonies 
it  would  be  unfortunate  for  the  readers  of  this  book 
were  they  not  made  acquainted  with  the  great  and 
wonderful  career  of  the  young  Negro  slave  who 
bore  the  above  name.  She  came  from  Africa  and 
was  sold  in  a  Boston  slave  market  in  the  year  1761 
to  a  kind  lady  who  was  a  Mrs.  Wheatley.  As  she 
sat  with  a  crowd  of  slaves  in  the  market,  naked, 
save  a  piece  of  cloth  tied  about  the  loins,  her  mod- 
est, intelligent  bearing  so  attracted  Mrs.  Wheatley 
that  she  selected  her  in  preference  to  all  the  others. 
Her  selection  proved  a  good  one,  for,  with  clean 
clothing  and  careful  attention,  Phillis  soon  began 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  29 

to  show  a  great  desire  for  learning.  Though  onlj^ 
eight  years  old,  this  young  African,  whose  race  all 
the  learned  men  said  were  incapable  of  culture, 
within    little  over   a  year's  time  so  mastered  the 


English  language  as  to  be  able  to  read  the  Bible 
intelligently.  Her  achievements  in  two  or  three 
years  drew  the  leading  lights  of  Boston  to  Mrs. 
Wheatley's  house,  and  with  them  Phillis  talked  and 


30  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

carried  on  correspondence  concerning  the  popular 
topics  of  the  day.  Everybody  either  knew  or  knew 
of  Phillis.  She  became  skilled  in  Ivatin  and  trans- 
lated one  of  Ovid's  stories,  which  was  published 
largely  in  English  magazines.  She  published  many 
poems  in  English,  one  of  which  was  addressed  to 
General  George  Washington.  He  sent  her  the  fol- 
lowing letter  in  reply,  which  shows  that  Washing- 
ton was  as  great  in  heart  as  in  war : 

Cambridge,  28  February,  1776. 

^'Miss  Phillis: — Your  favor  of  the  26th  October 
did  not  reach  my  hands  till  the  middle  of  Decem- 
ber  I  thank  you  most  sincerely  for  your 

polite  notice  of  me  in  the  elegant  lines  you  enclosed  ; 
and  however  undeserving  I  may  be  of  such  enco- 
mium and  panegyric,  the  style  and  manner  exhibit 
a  striking  proof  of  your  poetical  talents,  in  honor 
of  which,  and  as  a  tribute  justly  due  to  you,  I 
would  have  published  the  poem,  had  I  not  been 
apprehensive  that,  while  I  only  meant  to  give  the 
world  this  new  instance  of  your  genius,  I  might 
have  incurred  the  imputation  of  vanity.  This  and 
nothing  else,  determined  me  not  to  give  it  place  in 
the  public  prints. 

"  If  you  should  ever  come  to  Cambridge,  or  near 
headquarters,  I  shall  be  happy  to  see  a  person   so 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  31 

favored  by  the  Muses,  and  to  whom  Nature  has  been 
so  liberal  and  beneficent  in  her  dispensations.  I 
am  with  great  respect, 

"Your  humble  servant, 

"George  Washington." 
—  Williams. 

Phillis  was  emancipated  at  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
Soon  after  that  her  health  failed  and  she  was  sent 
to  Europe,  where  she  created  even  a  greater  sensa- 
tion than  in  America.  Men  and  women  in  the 
very  highest  stations  of  the  Old  World  were  won- 
derstruck,  and  industriously  attentive  to  this  humble 
born  African  girl.  While  Phillis  was  away  Mrs. 
Wheatley  became  seriously  ill  and  her  daily  long- 
ings were  to  see  "her  Phillis,"  to  whom  she  was  so 
much  devoted.  It  is  related  that  she  would  often 
turn  on  her  sick-couch  and  exclaim,  "See!  Look 
at  my  Phillis  !  Does  she  not  seem  as  though  she 
would  speak  to  me  ?  "  Phillis  was  asked  to  come, 
and  in  response  to  the  multitude  of  kindnesses 
done  her  by  Mrs.  Wheatley,  she  hastened  to  her  bed- 
side where  she  arrived  just  before  Mrs.  Wheatley 
died,  and  "  had  time  to  close  her  sightless  eyes." 

Mr.  Wheatley,  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  mar- 
ried again  and  settled  in  England.  Phillis  being 
thus  left  alone  also  married.  Her  husband  was 
named  Peters.     He,  far  inferior  to  her  in  almost 


32  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

every  way,  and  becoming  jealous  of  the  favors 
shown  her  by  the  best  of  society,  became  very 
cruel.  Phillis  did  not  long  survive  his  harsh  treat- 
ment, and  she  ditd  December  5,  17S4,  at  the  age 
of  about  41,  "greatly  beloved"  and  mourned  on 
two  continents. 

Thus  passed  away  one  of  the  brightest  of  the 
race,  whose  life  was  as  pure  as  a  crystal  and  de- 
voted to  the  most  beautiful  in  poetry,  letters  and 
religion. 

She  composed  this  verse  : 

"  'Twas  mercy  brought  me  from  my  Pagan  land, 
Taught  my  benighted  soul  to  understand 
That  there's  a  God — that  there's  a  Saviour,  too  ; 
Once  I  redemption  neither  sought  nor  knew." 

Contrar}/  to  the  Connectiait  slaveholders'  unbelief 
in  the  intellectual  capacity  of  the  Negro,  and  their 
assertions  of  his  utter  inferiority  in  all  things,  they 
early  enacted  the  most  rigid  laws  prohibiting  the 
teaching  of  any  Negro  to  read,  bond  or  free,  with 
a  penalty  of  several  hundred  dollars  for  every  such 
act.  The  following  undeniable  story  is  woven  into 
the  fabric  of  Connecticut's  history,  and  tells  a  sad ' 
tale  of  the  prejudice  of  her  people  against  the 
Negro  during  the  days  of  slavery  there  : 

Prudence  Crandall,  a  young  Quaker  lady  of 
talent,  was  employed  to  teach  a  "  boarding  and  day- 
school."     While  at  her  post  of  duty  one  day,  Sarah 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  33 

Harris,  whose  father  was  a  well-to-do  colored  far- 
mer, applied  for  admission.  Miss  Crandall  hesi- 
tated somewhat  to  admit  her,  but  knowing  the  girl's 
respectability,  her  lady-like  and  modest  deportment, 
for  she  was  a  member  of  the  white  people's  church 
and  well  known  to  them,  she  finally  told  her  yes. 
The  girl  came.  Soon  Miss  Crandall  was  called 
upon  b}^  the  patrons,  announcing  their  disgust  and 
loathing  that  their  daughters  should  attend  school 
with  a  "nigger  girl."  Miss  Crandall  protested, 
but  to  no  avail.  The  white  pupils  were  finally 
taken  from  the  school.  Miss  Crandall  then  opened 
a  school  for  colored  ladies.  She  enrolled  about 
twenty,  but  they  were  subjected  to  many  outrageous 
insults.  They  were  denied  accommodation  alto- 
gether in  the  village  of  Canterbury.  Their  well 
was  filled  up  with  trash,  and  all  kinds  of  unpleasant 
and  annoying  acts  were  thrust  upon  them.  The 
people  felt  determined  that  Canterburj^  should  not 
have  the  disgrace  of  a  colored  school.  No,  not 
even  the  State  of  Connecticut.  Miss  Crandall  sent 
to  Brooklyn  to  some  of  her  friends.  They  pleaded 
in  her  behalf  privately,  and  went  to  a  town  meeting 
to  speak  for  her,  but  were  denied  the  privilege. 
Finally,  the  Legislature  passed  a  law  prohibiting 
colored  schools  in  the  State.  From  the  advice  of 
her  friends  and  her  own  strong  will,  Miss  Crandall 
continued   to  teach.     She    was    arrested    and    her 


34  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

friends  were  sent  for.  They  came,  but  would  not 
be  persuaded  by  the  Sheriff  and  other  ofScers  to 
stand  her  bond.  The  people  saw  the  disgrace  and 
felt  ashamed  to  have  it  go  down  in  history  that  she 
was  put  in  jail.  In  agreement  with  Miss  Crandall's 
wishes  her  friends  still  persisted,  so  about  night 
she  was  put  in  jail.  The  news  flashed  over  the 
country,  much  to  the  Connecticut  people's  chagrin 
and  disgrace.  She  had  her  trial — the  court  evaded 
giving  a  decision.  She  opened  her  school  again, 
and  an  attempt  was  made  to  burn  the  building  while 
she  and  the  pupils  were  there,  but  it  proved  unsuc- 
cessful. One  night  about  midnight  they  were 
aroused  to  find  themselves  surrounded  by  persons 
who  with  heavy  iron  bars  and  clubs  broke  the  win- 
dows and  tore  things  to  pieces.  It  was  then  thought 
unwise  to  continue  the  school  longer.  So  the  doors 
were  closed,  and  the  poor  girls,  whose  only  offence 
was  a  manifestation  for  knowledge,  were  sent  to 
their  homes.  This  law,  however,  was  repealed  in 
1838,  after  being  in  force  five  years. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  35 

CHAPTER  VI. 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE  AND  MARYLAND. 

New  Hampshire  slaves  were  very  few  in  number. 
The  people  of  this  colony  saw  the  evils  of  slavery 
very  early,  and  passed  laws  against  their  importa- 
tion. Massachusetts  was  having  so  much  trouble 
with  her  slaves  that  the  New  Hampshire  people 
early  made  up  their  minds  that,  as  a  matter  of  busi- 
ness as  well  as  of  humanity,  they  had  best  not  try 
to  build  up  their  colon}^  by  dealing  in  human  flesh. 

Maryland  was,  up  to  1630,  a  part  of  Virginia, 
and  slavery  there  partook  of  the  same  features. 
Owing  to  the  feeling  existing  in  the  colony  between 
the  Catholics,  who  planted  it,  and  the  Protestants, 
the  slaves  were  treated  better  than  in  some  other 
provinces.  Yet  their  lot  was  a  hard  one  at  best. 
By  law,  a  white  person  could  kill  a  slave  and  not 
suffer  death  ;  only  pay  a  fine. 

.  While  Slaves  existed  in  this  colony,  many  of 
whom  came  as  criminals  from  England.  They,  it 
seems,  were  chiefly  domestic  servants,  while  the 
Negroes  worked  the  tobacco  fields. 


36  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

BENJAMIN  BANNEKA,  ASTRONOMER  AND  MATHEMA- 
TICIAN. 

Banneka  was  born  in  Maryland  in  the  year  1731. 
An  English  woman  named  Molly  Welsh,  who  came 
to  Maryland  as  an  emigrant,  is  said  to  have  been 
his  maternal  grandmother.  This  woman  was  sold 
as  a  slave  to  pay  her  passage  to  this  conntry  on 
board  an  emigrant  ship,  and  after  serving  out  her 
term  of  slaver}/  she  bought  two  Negro  slaves  her- 
self. These  slaves  were  men  of  extraordinary 
powers,  both  of  mind  and  body.  One  of  them,  said 
to  be  the  son  of  an  African  king,  was  set  free  by 
her,  and  she  soon  married  him.  There  were  four 
children,  and  one  of  them,  named  Mar}',  married 
a  native  African,  Robert  Banneka,  who  was  the 
father  of  Benjamin. 

The  School  Days  of  young  Benjamin  were  spent 
in  a  "  pay  school,"  where  some  colored  children 
were  admitted.  The  short  while  that  Benjamin 
was  there  he  learned  to  love  his  books,  and  when 
the  other  children  played  he  was  studying.  He 
was  very  attentive  to  his  duties  on  his  father's  farm, 
and  when  through  with  his  task  of  caring  for  the 
horses  and  cows,  he  would  spend  his  leisure  hours 
in  reading  books  and  papers  on  the  topics  of  the 
day. 

The  Post-Office  was  the  famous  gathering  place  in 
those  days,  and  there  it  was  that  young  Benjamin 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  37 

was  accustomed  to  go.  He  met  many  of  the  lead- 
ing people  of  the  community,  and  fluent!}^  discussed 
with  them  dilfficult  questions.  He  could  answer 
almost  an}'  problem  put  to  him  in  mathematics,  and 
became  known  throughout  the  colonies  as  a  genius. 
Many  of  his  answers  to  questions  were  be3^ond  the 
reach  of  ordinary  minds. 

Messrs.  Ellicolt  &  Co.,  who  built  flour  mills  on  the 
Patapsco  river,  near  Baltimore,  very  early  discov- 
ered Banneka's  genius,  and  Mr.  George  Ellicott 
allowed  him  the  use  of  his  library  and  astronomical 
instruments.  The  result  of  this  was  that  Benjamin 
Banneka  published  his  first  almanac  in  the  year  1 792, 
said  to  have  been  one  of  the  first  almanacs  published 
in  America.  Before  that  time  he  had  made  numerous 
calculations  in  astronom}',  and  constructed  for  him- 
self a  splendid  clock  that,  unfortunatel}^,  was  burned 
with  his  dwelling  soon  after  his  death. 

Banneka's  Reputation  spread  all  over  America, 
and  even  to  Europe.  He  drew  to  him  the  associa- 
tion of  the  best  and  most  learned  men  of  his  coun- 
try. His  ability  was  a  curiosity  to  everybody,  and 
did  much  to  establish  the  fact  that  the  Negro  of 
his  time  could  master  the  arts  and  sciences.  It  is 
said  that  he  was  the  master  of  five  different  lan- 
guages, as  well  as  a  mathematical  and  astronomical 
genius.  He  accompanied  and  assisted  the  commis- 
sioners who  surveyed  the  District  of  Columbia. 


38  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

He  sent  Mr.  Thomas  Jefferson  one  of  his  alma- 
nacs, which  Mr.  Jefferson  prized  so  highly  that  he 
sent  it  to  Paris,  and  wrote  Mr,  Banneka  the  follow- 
ing letter  in  reply.  Along  with  Mr.  Banneka's 
almanac  to  Mr.  Jefferson  he  sent  a  letter  pleading 
for  better  treatment  of  the  people  of  African  descent 
in  the  United  States. 

MR.  Jefferson's  letter  to  benjamin  banneka. 

"Philadelphia,  August  30,  1791. 

"  Dear  Sir — I  thank  you  sincerely  for  your  letter 
of  the  19th  instant,  and  for  the  almanac  it  con- 
tained. Nobody  wishes  more  than  I  do  to  see  such 
proofs  as  you  exhibit  that  Nature  has  given  to  our 
black  brethren  talents  equal  to  those  of  the  other 
colors  of  men,  and  that  the  appearance  of  the  want 
of  them  is  owing  only  to  the  degraded  condition  of 
their  existence,  both  in  Africa  and  America.  I  can 
add,  with  truth,  that  no  one  wishes  more  ardently 
to  see  a  good  system  commenced  for  raising  the 
condition,  both  of  their  body  and  mind,  to  what  it 
ought  to  be,  as  fast  as  the  imbecility  of  their  pres- 
ent existence,  and  other  circumstances  which  can- 
not be  neglected,  will  admit.  I  have  taken  the 
liberty  of  sending  your  almanac  to  Monsieur  de 
Cordorat,  Secretary  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  of 
Paris  and   member  of  the   Philanthropic  Society, 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  39 

because  I  cousidered  it  a  document  to  which  37our 
whole  color  had  a  right  for  their  justification  against 
the  doubts  which  have  been  entertained  of  them. 
"  I  am,  with  great  esteem,  sir, 

"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

"  Thos.  Jefferson." 
Mr.  Bejamm  Banneka^  near  Ellicott'^s 
Lower  Mills ^  Baltimore  County. 

The  Personal  Appearance  of  Mr.  Banneka  is 
drawn  from  the  letters  of  those  who  wrote  about 
him.  A  certain  gentleman  who  met  him  at  EHi- 
cott's  Mills  gives  this  description  :  "  Of  black  com- 
plexion, medium  stature,  of  uncommonly  soft  and 
gentlemanly  manners,  and  of  pleasing  colloquial 
powers." 

.Mr.  Banneka  died  about  the  j^ear  1804,  very 
greatly  mourned  by  the  people  of  this  country  and 
Europe.  He  left  two  sisters,  who,  according  to  his 
request,  turned  over  his  books,  papers,  and  astro- 
nomical calculations  to  Mr.  EHicott.  Perhaps  there 
has  been  no  greater  mind  in  the  possession  of  any 
American  citizen  than  that  of  Benjamin  Banneka. 
He  stands  out  in  history  as  one  of  those  phenome- 
nal characters  whose  achievements  seem  to  be 
nothing  short  of  miraculous. 

,     Frances   Ellen   Watkins   was  another  of  Mary- 
land's bright  women.     She  distinguished   herself 


40  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

as  an  anti-slavery  lecturer  in  the  Eastern  States, 
and  wrote  a  book  entitled,  "Poems  and  Miscella- 
neous Writings  ;  By  Frances  BUen  Watkins."  In 
that  book  was  the  following  poem  entitled  "  Ellen 
Harris": 

(i)  Like  a  fawn  from  the  arrow,  startled  and  wild, 
A  woman  swept  by  me  bearing  a  child  ; 
In  her  eye  was  the  night  of  a  settled  despair, 
And  her  brow  was  overshadowed  with  anguish  and  care. 

(2")  She  was  nearing  the  river, — on  reaching  the  brink 

She  heeded  no  danger,  she  paused  not  to  think  !  • 

For  she  is  a  mother — her  child  is  a  slave, — 

And  she'll  give  him  his  freedom  or  find  him  a  grave! 

(3)  But  she's  free, — yes,  free  from  the  land  where  the  slave 
From  the  hand  of  oppression  must  rest  in  the  grave; 
Where  bondage  and  torture,  where  scourges  and  chains. 
Have  placed  on  our  banner  indelible  stains. 

(4)  The  blood-hounds  have  missed  the  scent  of  her  way  ; 
The  hunter  is  rifled  and  foiled  of  his  prey  ; 

Fierce  jargon  and  cursing,  with  clanking  of  chains, 
Make  sounds  of  strange  discord  on  Liberty's  plains. 

(5)  With  the  rapture  of  love  and  fulness  of  bliss, 
She  placed  on  his  brow  a  mother's  fond  kiss, — 
Oh!  poverty,  danger,  and  death  she  can  brave, 
For  the  child  of  her  love  is  no  longer  a  slave! 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  41 

CHAPTER  VII. 

DELAWARE  AND  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Delaware  was  settled,  as  you  will  remember,  by 
the  Swedes  and  Danes,  in  1639.  They  were  a  sim- 
ple, contented,  and  religious  people.  It  is  recorded 
that  they  had  a  law  very  early  in  their  history  de- 
claring it  was  "not  lawful  to  buy  and  keep  slaves." 
•It  is  very  evident,  though,  that  later  on  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  colony  slaves  were  held,  and  their  con- 
dition was  the  same  as  in  New  York.  While  the 
north  of  the  colony  was  perhaps  fully  in  sympathy 
with  slavery,  the  western  part  was  influenced  by 
the  religious  sentiment  of  the  Quakers  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

The  Friends  of  Pennsylvania  were  opposed  to 
slavery,  and  although  slavery  was  tolerated  bylaw, 
the  way  was  left  open  for  their  education  and  re- 
ligious training.  In  1688,  Francis  Daniel  Pasto- 
rious'-'  addressed  a  memorial  to  the  Friends  of  Ger- 
man town.  His  was  said  to  be  the  first  protest 
against  slavery  made  by  any  of  the  churches  of 
America.  He  believed  that  "  slave  and  slave-owner 
should  be  equal  at  the  Master's  feet." 

William  Penn  showed  himself  friendly  to  the 
slaves. 


*Willianis, 


42  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

NORTH  CAROLINA. 

This  colony,  in  geographical  position,  lies  be- 
tween South  Carolina  and  Virginia.  While  it  held 
slaves,  it  may  be  justly  said  its  position  on  this 
great  question  was  not  so  burdensome  to  the  slave 
as  was  that  of  some  of  the  other  Southern  colonies; 
and  even  to  the  present  time  the  Negroes  and  whites 
of  this  State  seem  to  enjoy  the  most  harmonious 
relations.  Large  communities  of  free  Negroes  lived 
in  this  State  prior  to  the  civil  war,  and,  as  late  as 
the  year  1835,  they  could  vote.  They  had  some 
rights  of  citizenship  and  some  of  them  became 
men  of  note.  ^ 

Prior  to  the  Civil  War  there  were  schools  for 
these  free  people.  Some  of  them  owned  slaves 
themselves.  In  this  colony  the  slaves  were  worked, 
as  a  rule,  on  small  farms,  and  there  was  a  close 
relation  established  between  master  and  slave,  which 
bore  its  fruits  in  somewhat  milder  treatment  than 
was  customary  in  colonies  where  the  slave  lived 
on  large  cotton  plantations  governed  by  overseers, 
some  of  whom  were  imported  from  the  North. 

The  Eastern  Section  of  North  Carolina  was  thickly 
peopled    with   slaves,    and    some   landlords   owned 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  43 

hundreds  if  not  thousands — so  many  that  they  did 
not  know  them  when  they  met  them. 

The  increase  and  surplusage  of  the  slave  popu- 
lation in  this  State  was  sold  to  the  more  Southern 
colonies,  where  they  were  used  on  the  cotton,  rice, 
and  sugar  plantations. 

A  NORTH  CAROLINA  SLAVE  POET. 

George  M.  Hortou  was  a  poet.  He  was  the  slave 
of  James  M.  Horton,  of  Chatham  County,  N.  C. 
'Several  of  his  special  poems  were  published  in  the 
Raleigh  Register.  In  1829,  A.  M.  Gales,  of  this 
State,  afterwards  of  the  firm  of  Gales  &  Seaton, 
Washington,  D.  C,  published  a  volume  of  the  slave 
Horton 's  poems,  which  excited  the  wonder  and  ad- 
miration of  the  best  men  in  this  country.  His 
poems  reached  Boston,  where  they  were  much 
talked  of,  and  used  as  an  argument  against  slaver}^ 
Horton,  at  the  time  his  volume  was  published,  could 
read  but  not  write,  and  was,  therefore,  compelled  to 
dictate  his  productions  to  some  one  who  wrote  them 
down  for  him.  He  afterwards  learned  to  write. 
He  seemed  to  have  concealed  all  his  achievements 
from  his  master,  who  knew  nothing  of  his  slave's 
ability  except  what  others  told  him.  He  simply 
knew  George  as  a  field  hand,  which  work  he  did 
faithfully  and  honestly,  and  wrote  his  poetr}'  too. 
Though  a  slave,  his  was  a  noble  soul  inspired  with 


44  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

the  Muse  from  above.  The  Raleigh  Register  said 
of  him,  July  2d,  1829:  "That  his  heart  has  felt 
deeply  and  sensitively  in  this  lowest  possible  condi- 
tion of  human  nature  (meaning  slavery)  will  be 
easily  believed,  and  is  impressively  confirmed  by 
one  of  his  stanzas,  viz. : 

"Come,  melting  pity  from  afar, 
And  break  this  vast,  enormous  bar 

Between  a  wretch  and  thee; 
Purchase  a  few  short  days  of  time, 
And  bid  a  vassal  soar  sublime 
On  wings  of  Liberty." 

REV.  JOHN  CHAVIS. 

To  preserve  the  memory,  as  well  as  to  perpetuate 
the  work  and  worth  of  a  very  eminent  colored  citi- 
zen of  North  Carolina,  I  here  present  for  the  infor- 
mation of  the  youths,  and  all  other  persons  who  do 
not  know  anything  of  the  history  of  his  life,  a  bio- 
graphical narrative  of  the  Rev.  John  Chavis.  This 
gentleman,  a  regularly  ordained  minister  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  came  to  the  United  States  in 
the  year  1822.  He  settled  in  North  Carolina,  and, 
after  remaining  here  the  period  of  time  required  by 
law,  was  naturalized  and  became  a  citizen  of  the 
State  and  United  States.  In  culture  and  literary 
attainments  he  far  excelled  a  majority  of  all  classes 
of  the  people  living  in  the  State  at  that  day  and 
date.     A  Christian  gentleman,  possessing  all  the 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  45 

qualities  which  go  to  make  a  true  aud  uoble  man, 
he  was  honored  for  his  eminent  ability  and 
respected  for  his  Christian  character.  He  lived  in 
the  town  of  Fayetteville  for  a  period  of  two  years, 
preached  and  taught  school.  He  removed  from 
Fa3^etteville,  and  afterwards  lived  respectively  in 
the  counties  of  Franklin,  Wake  and  Chatham,  in 
each  of  which  he  preached  and  taught  school.  The 
school  organized  and  taught  by  him  in  Chatham 
County  was  patronized  almost  exclusively  by  the 
white  people.  In  the  light  of  present  surroundings, 
it  may  seem  strange  and  incredulous  that  the  white 
people  of  North  Carolina  would  send  their  children 
to  a  colored  school-teacher,  and  consent  to  have 
their  lives  and  characters  shaped  and  moulded  by 
him,  but  this  is  accounted  for  in  the  fact  that  the 
recorded  history  of  those  times  goes  to  show  that 
classical  scholars  and  thoroughly  equipped  school- 
teachers were  not  near  so  plentiful  among  the  white 
people  then  as  they  are  now,  and  they  were  not  so 
very  particular  as  to  the  color  of  the  "  Gamaliel  " 
at  whose  feet  their  children  should  sit,  provided  he 
had  the  ability  and  learning  to  impart  the  desired 
information.  As  evidence  of  this  gentleman's  emi- 
nence as  an  instructor,  and  the  influence  which  his 
precept  and  example  had  upon  the  lives  and  char- 
acter of  his  pupils,  I  mention  the  names  of  a  few 
who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  enjoy  the  benefit  of  his 


46  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

instruction  and  careful  training.  The  late  Honor- 
able Kenneth  Rayner^  one  of  his  pupils,  was  well 
known  to  the  people  of  North  Carolina  as  an  emi- 
nent lawyer,  and,  before  the  civil  war,  as  a  repre- 
sentative from  North  Carolina  in  the  United  States 
Congress,  and  after  said  war  was  the  able  and  effi- 
cient Solicitor-General  of  the  United  States  Treasury 
under  President  Arthur's  administration.  Mr.  Thos. 
J.  Curtis,  a  successful  business  man,  and  for  several 
years  Mayor  of  the  town  of  Fayette  ville,  was  another, 
and  yet  another  was  the  late  Honorable  Abram 
Rencher,  of  Chatham  County,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  men  the  State  has  ever  pro- 
duced. There  were  a  great  many  others,  but  it  is 
not  necessary  to  mention  by  name  any  more.  These 
are  enough  to  show  that  if  justice  had  been  done, 
this  illustrious  colored  gentleman  would  have  had 
a  place  in  the  recorded  history  of  the  State  of  his 
adoption  as  one  of  her  earliest,  most  successful 
educators  and  eminent  men. — \Taken  from  an 
account  of''''  The  Free  People  of  Color  m  North  Car- 
olina^^''  by  fohn  S.  Leary7\ 


NEGRO  RACE  IiV  THE  UNITED  STATES.  47 

CHAPTER  IX. 

SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

Charters  for  the  settlement  of  North  and  South 
Carolina  were  obtained  at  the  same  time — 1663. 
Slavery  commenced  with  the  colony.  Owing  to  the 
peculiar  fitness  of  the  soil  for  the  production  of 
rice  and  cotton,  slave  labor  was  in  great  demand. 
White  labor  failed,  and  the  colony  was  marvellously 
prosperous  under  the  slave  system.  Negroes  were 
imported  from  Africa  by  the  thousands.  Their 
labor  proved  very  productive. 

A  Negro  Regiment  in-  the  service  of  Spain  was 
doing  dut}^  in  Florida,  and  through  it  the  Spanish, 
who  w^ere  at  dagger's  ends  with  the  British  colonies, 
sent  out  spies  who  offered  inducements  to  such  of 
the  South  Carolina  slaves  as  would  run  away  and 
join  them.  Many  slaves  ran  away.  Very  rigid 
and  extreme  laws  were  passed  to  prevent  slaves 
from  running  awa3^ 

A  Riot  followed  the  severe  treatment  of  the  slaves 
under  the  runaway  code;  1748  is  said  to  have 
been  a  year  in  which  the  crowd  of  slaves  assem- 
bled in  the  village  of  Stono,  slew  the  guards  at 
the  arsenal  and  secured  the  ammunition.  They 
then  marched  to  the  homes  of  several  leading  men 


48  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

whom  they  murdered,  together  with  their  wives 
and  children.  The  slaves  captured  considerable 
rum  in  their  plundering  expedition,  and  having 
indulged  very  freely,  stopped  for  a  frolic,  and  in 
the  midst  of  their  hilarity  were  captured  by  the 
whites,  and  thus  ended  the  riot. 

The  Discontent  of  the  Slaves  grew,  however,  in 
spite  of  the  speedy  ending  of  this  attempt  at  insur- 
rection. The  treatment  of  the  slaves  was  bearing 
its  fruits  in  a  universal  dissatisfaction,  and  in  South 
Carolina,  as  in  Massachusetts,  it  began  to  be  a 
serious  question  as  to  what  side  the  slaves  would 
take  in  the  war  of  the  coming  Revolution.  Eng- 
land offered  freedom  and  money  to  slaves  who  would 
join  her  army.  The  people  of  South  Carolina  did 
not  wait  long  before  they  allowed  the  Negroes  to 
enlist  in  defence  of  the  colonies,  and  highly  com- 
plimented their  valor.  If  a  slave  killed  a  Briton 
he  was  emancipated ;  if  he  were  taken  prisoner 
and  escaped  back  into  the  Province,  he  was  also  set 
free. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  49 

CHAPTER   X. 

GEORGIA. 

From  the  time  of  its  settlement  in  1732  till  1750 
this  colony  held  no  slaves.  Many  of  the  inhabitants 
were  anxious  for  the  introduction  of  slaves,  and 
when  the  condition  of  the  colony  finally  became 
hopeless  they  sent  many  long  petitions  to  the  Trus- 
tees, stating  that  "//^^  o?ie  thing  jieedfuP^  for  their 
prosperity  was  Negroes.  It  was  a  longtime  before 
the  Trustees  would  give  their  conseut;  they  said 
that  the  colony  of  Georgia  was  designed  to  be  a 
protection  to  South  Carolina  and  the  other  more 
Northern  colonies  against  the  Spanish,  who  were 
then  occupying  Florida,  and  if  the  colonists  had  to 
control  slaves  it  would  weaken  their  power  to  defend 
themselves.  Finally,  owing  to  the  hopeless  con- 
dition of  the  Georgia  colony,  the  Trustees  3nelded. 
Slaves  were  introduced  in  large  numbers. 

Prosperity  Came  with  the  slaves,  and,  as  in  the 
case  of  Virginia,  the  colony  of  Georgia  took  a  fresh 
start  and  began  to  prosper.  It  was  in  large  part 
the  honest  and  faithful  toil  of  the  Negro  that  turned 
the  richness  of  Georgia's  soil  into  English  gold, 
built  cities  and  created  large  estates.* 

*  The  famous  minister,  George  Whitfield,  referring  to  his  planta- 
tion in  this  colony,  said  :  "Upwards  of  five  thousand  pounds  have 


50  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Oglethorpe  Planned  the  Georgia  colouy  as  a 
home  for  Englishmen  who  had  failed  in  business 
and  were  imprisoned  for  their  debts.  These  Eng- 
lish people  were  out  of  place  in  the  wild  woods  of 
America,  and  continued  a  failure  in  America,  as 
well  as  in  England,  until  the  toiling  but  "  heathen  " 
African  came  to  their  aid. 

Cotton  Plantations  were  numerous  in  Georgia 
under  the  slave  system.  The  slave-owners  had 
large  estates,  numbering  thousands  of  acres  in 
many  cases.  The  slaves  became  experts  in  the 
culture  of  cotton.  The  climate  was  adapted  to 
sugar-cane  and  rice,  both  of  which  were  raised  in 
abundance. 

blount'jp  fort. 

This  fortification,  erected  by  some  of  the  armies 
duringtheearly  colonial  wars,  had  been  abandoned. 


been  expended  in  the  undertaking,  and  yet  very  little  proficiency 
made  in  the  cultivation  of  my  tract  of  land,  and  that  entirely  owing 
to  the  necessity  I  lay  under  of  making  use  of  white  hands.  Had  a 
Negro  been  allowed  I  should  now  have  had  a  sufficiency  to  support  a 
great  many  orphans,  without  expending  above  half  the  sum  which 
had  been  laid  out."  He  purchased  a  plantation  in  South  Carolina, 
where  slavery  existed,  and  speaks  of  it  thus  :  "  Blessed  be  God  !  This 
plantation  has  succeeded  ;  and  though  at  present  I  have  only  eight 
working  hands,  yet  in  all  probability,  there  will  be  more  raised  in 
one  year,  and  without  a  quarter  of  the  expense,  than  has  been  pro- 
duced at  Bethesda  for  several  years  past.  This  confirms  me  in  the 
opinion  I  have  entertained  for  a  long  time,  that  Georgia  never  can 
or  will  be  a  flourishing  province  without  Negroes  are  allowed.'" 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  51 

It  lies  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Apalachicola  river 
in  Florida,  forty  miles  from  the  Georgia  line. 
Negro  refngees  from  Georgia  fled  into  the  ever- 
glades of  Florida  as  a  hiding-place  during  the  war 
of  the  Revolution,  In  these  swamps  they  remained 
for  forty  years  successfully  baffling  all  attempts  to 
re-enslave  them.  Many  of  those  who  planned  the 
escape  at  first  were  now  dead,  and  their  children 
had  grown  up  to  hate  the  lash  and  love  liberty. 
Their  parents  had  taught  them  that  to  die  in  the 
swamps  with  libert}^  was  better  than  to  feast  as  a 
bondman  and  a  slave.  When  Blount's  Fort  was 
abandoned  and  taken  possession  of  by  these  children 
of  the  swamp,  there  were  three  hundred  and  eleven 
of  them,  out  of  which  i!t>t  more  than  twenty  had 
ever  been  slaves.  They  were  joined  by  other  slaves 
who  ran  away  as  chance  permitted.  The  neigh- 
boring slave-holders  attempted  to  capture  these 
people  but  failed.  They  finally  called  on  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  for  aid.  General  Jack- 
son, then  commander  of  the  Southern  militia,  dele- 
gated Lieutenant  Colonel  Clinch  to  take  the  fort 
and  reduce  these  people  to  slavery  again.  His 
sympathies  being  with  the  refugees,  he  marched  to 
the  fort  and  returned,  reporting  that  "the  fortifica- 
tion was  not  accessible  by  land." 

Commodore  Patterson  next  received  orders.     He 
commanded  the  American  fleet,  then  lying  in  Mobile 


52  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Bay.  A  "  sub-order  was  given  to  Lieutenant  Loomis 
to  ascend  the  Apalachicola  river  with  two  gun- 
boats, to  seize  the  people  in  Blount's  Fort,  deliver 
them  to  their  owners,  and  destroy  the  fort."  At 
early  dawn  on  the  morning  of  September  the  17th, 
1816,  the  two  boats,  with  full  sail  catching  a  gentle 
breeze,  moved  up  the  river  towards  the  fort.  They 
lowered  a  boat  on  their  arrival  and  twelve  men  went 
ashore.  They  were  met  at  the  water's  edge  and 
asked  their  errand  by  a  number  of  the  leading  men 
of  the  fort.  Lieutenant  Loomis  informed  them 
that  he  came  to  destroy  the  fort  and  turn  over  its 
inmates  to  the  "slave-holders,  then  on  board  the 
gun-boat,  who  claimed  them  as  fugitive  slaves." 
The  demand  was  rejected.  The  colored  men  re- 
turned to  the  fort  and  informed  the  inmates.  Great 
consternation  prevailed.  The  women  were  much 
distressed,  but  amid  the  confusion  and  excitement 
there  appeared  an  aged  father.  He  assured  the 
people  that  the  fort  could  not  be  taken,  and  ended 
his  speech  with  these  patriotic  words:  "Give  me 
liberty,  or  give  me  death."  A  shout  went  up  from 
the  entire  fort  as  from  one  man,  and  they  prepared 
to  defend  themselves. 

The  Gun-boats  Soon  Opened  Fire.  For  several 
hours  they  buried  balls  in  the  earthen  walls  and 
injured  no  one.  Bombs  were  then  fired.  These 
had  more  effect,  as  there  was  no  shelter  from  them. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  53 

All  this  seemed  little  more  than  sport  for  the  in- 
mates of  the  fort,  who  saw  nothing  but  a  joke  in 
it  after  shelter  had  been  found. 

Lieutenant  Loomis  saw  his  failure.  He  had  a 
consultation,  and  it  was  agreed  to  fire  "hot  shot  at 
the  magazine."  So  the  furnaces  were  heated  and 
the  fiery  flames  began  to  whizz  through  the  air. 
This  last  stroke  was  effectual;  the  hot  shot  set  the 
magazine  on  fire,  and  a  terrible  explosion  covered 
the  entire  place  with  debris.  Many  were  instantly 
killed  by  the  falling  earth  and  timbers.  It  was  now 
dark.  Fifteen  persons  in  the  fort  had  survived  the 
explosion.  The  sixty  sailors  and  ofi&cers  now 
entered,  trampling  over  the  wounded  and  dying, 
and  took  these  fifteen  refugees  in  handcuffs  and 
ropes  back  to  the  boats.  The  dead,  wounded  and 
dying  were  left. 

As  the  two  boats  moved  away  from  this  scene 
of  carnage  the  sight  weakened  the  veteran  sailors 
on  board  the  boats,  and  when  the  officers  retired 
these  weather-worn  sailor  veterans  "  gathered  before 
the  mast,  and  loud  and  bitter  were  the  curses  uttered 
against  slavery  and  against  the  officers  of  the  gov- 
ernment." 

The  Dead  Remained  unburied  in  the  fort.  The 
wounded  and  dying  were  not  cared  for,  and  all  were 
left  as  food  for  vultures.  For  years  afterward  the 
bones  of  these  brave  people  lay  bleaching  in  the  sun. 


54  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Having  briefly  considered  the  establishment  of 
slavery  in  the  colonies,  where  the  Negro  slave  was 
employed  mainly  in  menial  occupations  and  where 
he  accepted  the  conditions  imposed  upon  him  with 
a  full  knowledge  of  the  wrong  done,  but  still  jubi- 
lant with  songs  of  hope  for  deliverance,  and  trust 
in  God,  whose  promises  are  many  to  the  faithful, 
let  us  turn  to  the  war  of  tlie  Revolution. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

HABITS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  SOUTH- 
ERN COLONIES. 

Barnes  gives  the  following  account  of  the  habits 
and  customs  of  the  Southern  colonies  during  the 
days  of  slavery: 

"The  Southern  Colonists  differed  widely  from  the 
Northern  in  habits  and  style  of  living.  In  place 
of  thickly-settled  towns  and  villages,  they  had  large 
plantations,  and  were  surrounded  by  a  numerous 
household  of  servants.  The  Negro  quarters  formed 
a  hamlet  apart,  with  its  gardens  and  poultrj^  yards. 
An  estate  in  those  days  was  a  little  empire.  The 
planter  had  among  his  slaves  men  of  every  trade, 
and  they  made  most  of  the  articles  needed  for  com- 
mon use  upon  the  plantation.  There  were  large 
sheds  for  curing  tobacco,  and  mills  for  grinding 
corn  and  wheat.  The  tobacco  was  put  up  and  con- 
signed directly  to  England.  The  flour  of  the  Mount 
Vernon  estate  was  packed  under  the  eye  of  Wash- 
ington himself,  and  we  are  told  that  barrels  of  flour 
bearing  his  brand  passed  in  the  West  India  market 
without  inspection. 

"Up  the  Ashley  and  Cooper  (near  Charleston) 
were  the  remains  of  the  only  bona  fide  nobility  ever 


66  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

established  on  our  soil.  There  the  descendants  of 
the  Landgraves,  who  received  their  title  in  accord- 
ance with  Locke's  grand  model,  occupied  their 
manorial  dwellings.  Along  the  banks  of  the  James 
and  Rappahannock  the  plantation  often  passed  from 
father  to  son,  according  to  the  law  of  entail. 

"  The  heads  of  these  great  Southern  families  lived 
like  lords,  keeping  their  packs  of  choice  hunting 
dogs,  and  their  stables  of  blooded  horses,  and  roll- 
ing to  church  or  town  in  their  coach  of  six,  with 
outriders  on  horseback.  Their  spacious  mansions 
were  sometimes  built  of  imported  brick.  Within, 
the  grand  staircases,  the  mantels,  and  the  wainscot, 
reaching  in  a  quaint  fashion  from  floor  to  ceiling, 
were  of  mahogany  elaborately  carved  and  paneled. 
The  sideboards  shown  with  gold  and  silver  plate 
and  the  tables  were  loaded  with  the  luxuries  of  the 
Old  World.  Negro  servants  thronged  about,  ready 
to  perform  every  task. 

"All  labor  was  done  by  Slaves,  it  being  consid- 
ered degrading  for  a  white  man  to  work.  Even  the 
superintendence  of  the  plantation  and  slaves  was 
generally  committed  to  overseers,  while  the  master 
dispensed  a  generous  hospitality,  and  occupied 
himself  with  social  and  political  life." 

We  must  not  give  this  picture  of  life  in  the  Southern  Colonies  too 
wide  afi  application.  While  it  is  true  as  to  many  families,  it  is  to  be 
remembered  that  vastly  more  persons  owned  but  few  slaves,  and  still 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  57 

more  owned  none.  Therefore  a  large  majority  of  the  families  could 
not  and  did  not  live  in  any  such  style,  and  they  did  labor  themselves, 
frequentl}'  along  with  their  slaves,  and  they  were  not  considered 
degraded  thereby.  Labor  was  not  considered  degrading  by  the  great 
body  of  the  Southern  people. 

SLAVERY    INTRODUCED    IN    THE    COLONIES. 

In  Virginia,  the  last  of  August,  1619. 

In  New  York,  1628,  or  earlier. 

In  Massachusetts,  between  1633  and  1637. 

In  Marj^land,  1634,  or  earlier. 

In  Delaware,  between  1636  and  1639. 

In  Connecticut,  between  163 1  and  1636. 

In  Rhode  Island  from  the  beginning,  1647. 

New  Jersey,  not  known  ;  as  early  though  as  in 
New  Netherlands. 

South  Carolina  and  North  Carolina  from  the  ear- 
liest days  of  their  existence. 

In  New  Hampshire,  slavery  existed  from  the 
beginning. 

Pennsylvania  doubtful. 

In  Georgia,  1750. 


A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XII. 

NEGRO  SOLDIERS  IN  REVOLUTIONARY 
TIMES. 

Objections  lo  Enlisting  Negroes  caused  much  dis- 
cussion at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 
The  Northern  colonies  partially  favored  their  enlist- 
ment and  rightly  reasoned  that  if  the  Negroes  were 
not  allowed  to  enlist  in  the  Colonial  ami}',  where 
their  sympathies  were,  they  would  accept  the  propo- 
sitions of  the  British,  who  promised  freedom  to 
ever}'  slave  who  would  desert  his  master  and  join 
the  English  arm3^ 

Lord  Dunmore,  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  the 
other  British  leaders,  saw  a  good  chance  to  weaken 
the  strength  of  the  colonies  by  offering  freedom  to 
the  slaves  if  they  would  fight  for  England.  They 
knew  that  the  slaves  would  be  used  to  throw  up 
fortifications,  do  fatigue  duties,  and  raise  the  provi- 
sions necessary  to  support  the  Colonial  army.  So 
Lord  Dunmore  issued  a  proclamation  offering  free- 
dom to  all  slaves  who  would  join  his  army.  As 
the  result  of  this,  Thomas  Jefferson  is  quoted  as 
saying  that  30,000  Negroes  from  Virginia  alone 
joined  the  British  ranks. 

The  Americans  became  fearful  of  the  results  that 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  59 

were  sure  to  follow  the  plans  of  Lord  Dunmore. 
Sentiment  began  to  change  in  the  Negro's  favor; 
the  newspapers  were  filled  with  kind  words  for  the 
slaves,  tr^ang  to  convince  them  that  the  British 
Government  had  forced  slavery  upon  the  colonies 
against  their  will,  and  that  their  best  interests  were 
centred  in  the  triumph  of  the  Colonial  arm}^  A 
part  of  an  article  in  one  paper,  headed  "Caution  to 
the  Negro,"  read  thus:  "Can  it,  then,  be  supposed 
that  the  Negroes  will  be  better  used  by  the  English, 
who  have  always  encouraged  and  upheld  this 
slavery,  than  by  their  present  masters,  who  pity 
their  condition;  who  wish  in  general  to  make  it  as 
easy  and  comfortable  as  possible,  and  who  would, 
were  it  in  their  power,  or  were  they  permitted,  not 
onl}-  prevent  an}^  more  Negroes  from  losing  their 
freedom,  but  restore  it  to  such  as  have  already  un- 
happily lost  it They  will  send  the  Negroes 

to  the  West  Indies  where  every  year  the}'  sell  many 
thousands  of  their  miserable  brethren.  Be  not 
tempted,  ye  Negroes,  to  ruin  yourselves  by  this 
proclamation!"  The  colonies  finally  allowed  the 
enlistment  of  Negroes,  their  masters  being  paid  for 
them  out  of  the  public  treasury.  Those  slaves  who 
had  already  joined  the  British  were  offered  pardon 
if  they  would  escape  and  return,  and  a  severe  pun- 
ishment was  to  be  inflicted  on  those  who  left  the 
colony  if  they  were  caught. 


60  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

To  OfTsel  the  Plans  of  Lord  Dunmore,  the  Ameri- 
cans proposed  to  organize  a  Negro  army,  to  be  com- 
manded by  the  brave  Colonel  Laurens  ;  and  on  this 
subject  the  following  letter  was  addressed  to  John 
Jay,  President  of  Congress,  \>y  the  renowned  Alex- 
ander Hamilton.  This  letter  also  shows  in  what 
esteem  the  Negro  slave  of  America  was  held  by 
men  of  note: 

"Headquarters,  March  14,  1779. 
"  To  John  Jay. 

"Dear  Sir: — Col.  Laurens,  who  will  have  the 
honor  of  delivering  you  this  letter,  is  on  his  way 
to  South  Carolina  on  a  project  which  I  think,  in 
the  present  situation  of  affairs  there,  is  a  very  good 
one,  and  deserves  every  kind  of  support  and  en- 
couragement. This  is,  to  raise  two,  or  three,  or 
four  battalions  of  Negroes,  with  the  assistance  of 
the  government  of  that  State,  by  contributions  from 
the  owners  in  proportion  to  the  number  they  pos- 
sess. If  3^ou  think  proper  to  enter  upon  the  subject 
with  him,  he  will  give  you  a  detail  of  his  plan.  He 
wishes  to  have  it  recommended  by  Congress  and 
the  State,  and,  as  an  inducement,  they  should  en- 
gage to  take  those  battalions  into  Continental  pay. 

"  It  appears  to  me  that  an  experiment  of  this  kind, 
in  the  present  state  of  Southern  affairs,  is  the  most 
rational  that  can  be  adopted,  and    promises  very 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  61 

important  advantages.  Indeed,  I  hardly  see  how  a 
sufficient  force  can  be  collected  in  that  quarter 
without  it,  and  the  enemy's  operations  are  growing 
infinitely  more  serious  and  formidable.  I  have  not 
the  least  doubt  that  the  Negroes  will  make  very 
excellent  soldiers  with  proper  management,  and  I 
will  venture  to  pronounce  that  they  cannot  be  put 
in  better  hands  than  those  of  Mr.  Laurens.  He  has 
all  the  zeal,  intelligence,  enterprise,  and  every  other 
qualification  necessary  to  succeed  in  such  an  under- 
taking. It  is  a  maxim  with  some  great  military 
judges  that,  "with  sensible  officers,  soldiers  can 
hardly  be  too  stupid;"  and,  on  this  principle,  it  is 
thought  that  the  Russians  would  make  the  best 
troops  in  the  world  if  they  were  under  other  officers 
than  their  own.  I  mention  this,  because  I  hear  it 
frequently  objected  to  the  scheme  of  embodying 
Negroes,  that  they  are  too  stupid  to  make  soldiers. 
This  is  so  far  from  appearing,  to  me,  a  valid  objec- 
tion, that  I  think  their  want  of  cultivation  (for  their 
natural  faculties  are  probably  as  good  as  ours), 
joined  to  that  habit  of  subordination  from  a  life  of 
servitude,  will  make  them  sooner  become  soldiers 
than  our  white  inhabitants.  Let  officers  be  men 
of  sense  and  sentiment,  and  the  nearer  the  soldiers 
approach  to  machines  perhaps  the  better. 

"I  foresee  that  this  project  will  have  to  combat 
much  opposition  from  prejudice  and   self-interest. 


62  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

The  contempt  we  have  been  taught  to  entertain  for 
the  blacks  makes  us  fancy  many  things  that  are 
founded  neither  in  reason  nor  experience,  and  an 
unwillingness  to  part  with  property  of  so  valuable  a 
kind  will  furnish  a  thousand  arguments  to  show  the 
impracticability  or  pernicious  tendency  of  a  scheme 
which  requires  such  a  sacrifice.  But  it  should  be 
considered  that  if  we  do  not  make  use  of  them  in 
this  way  the  enemy  probably  will,  and  that  the  best 
way  to  counteract  the  temptations  they  hold  out  will 
be  to  offer  them  ourselves.  An  essential  part  of 
the  plan  is  to  give  them  their  freedom  with  their 
muskets.  This  will  secure  their  fidelity,  animate 
their  courage,  and,  I  believe,  will  have  a  good  influ- 
ence upon  those  who  remain  b}-  opening  a  door  to 
their  emancipation.  This  circumstance,  I  confess, 
has  no  small  weight  in  inducing  me  to  wish  the  suc- 
cess of  the  project,  for  the  dictates  of  humanity  and 
true  policy  equall}'  interest  me  in  favor  of  this  un- 
fortunate class  of  men.  With  the  truest  respect 
and  esteem,  I  am,  sir, 

"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

"Alex.  Hamilton." 

George   Washington,    James   Madison,   and    the 

Continental  Congress  gave  their  consent  to  the  plan 
of  Col.  Laurens,  and  recommended  it  to  the  South- 
ern Colonies.     It  was  resolved  by  Congress  to  com- 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  63 

pensate  the  master  for  the  slaves  used  by  Col.  Lau- 
rens at  the  rate  of  $i,ooo  apiece  for  each  "able- 
bodied  Xegro  man  of  standard  size,  not  exceeding 
thirt\'-five  3'ears  of  age,  who  shall  be  so  enlisted 
and  pass  muster.  That  no  pay  be  allowed  to  the 
said  Negroes,  but  that  they  be  clothed  and  sub- 
sisted at  the  expense  of  the  United  States;  that 
ever}'  Negro  who  shall  well  and  faithfully  serve 
as  a  soldier  to  the  end  of  the  present  war,  and  shall 
then  return  his  arms,  shall  be  emancipated  and 
receive  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars." 

Congress  commissioned  Col.  Laurens  to  carry 
out  this  plan.  "He  repaired  to  South  Carolina 
and  threw  all  his  energies  into  his  noble  mission." 
The  people  of  the  States  of  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina  refused  to  co-operate  with  him. 

A  Letter  from  General  Washington  will  help  us 
to  understand  the  condition  of  aifairs  in  South 
Carolina  and  Georgia.  He  wrote  to  Col.  Laurens 
as  follows:  "I  must  confess  that  I  am  not  at  all 
astonished  at  the  failure  of  your  plan.  That  spirit 
of  freedom  which,  at  the  commencement  of  this 
contest,  would  have  gladly  sacrificed  everything  to 
the  attainment  of  its  object,  has  long  since  subsided, 
and  every  selfish  passion  has  taken  its  place.  It  is 
not  the  public  but  private  interest  which  influences 
the  generality  of  mankind,  nor  can  the  x'Vmericans 
any  longer  boast  an  exception.     Under  these  cir- 


64  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

cumstances  it  would  rather  have  been  surprising 
if  you  had  succeeded,  nor  will  you,  I  fear,  have 
better  success  in  Georgia." 

Col.  Laurens  was  killed  in  battle,  but  he  had  not 
entirely  abandoned  his  plan  of  enlisting  the  slaves. 
But  in  spite  of  the  recommendations  of  Congress, 
he  could  not  succeed,  for  the  States  of  South  Caro- 
lina and  Georgia  coveted  their  slaves  too  much  to 
allow  this  entering  wedge  to  their  ultimate  freedom. 
Had  his  plan  been  carried  out,  slavery  would  prob- 
ably have  been  abolished  as  soon  at  the  South  as  at 
the  North.  The  Negroes  who  would  have  come 
out  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution  would  have  set 
themselves  to  work  to  relieve  the  condition  of  their 
brethren  in  shackles, 

Connecticut  Failed  to  endorse  the  enlistment  of 
Negroes  by  its  Legislature,  but  Mr.  Williams  in  his 
history  gives  the  roster  of  a  company  of  Negroes  in 
that  State,  numbering  fifty-seven,  with  David  Hum- 
phreys, Captain.  White  officers  refused  to  serve  in 
the  company.  David  Humphreys  continued  at  the 
head  of  this  force  until  the  war  closed. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  65 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

NEGRO  HEROES  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

Among  Those  whose  blood  was  first  shed  for  the 
cause  of  American  liberty  was  the  runaway  slave, 
Crispus  Attucks.  Having  escaped  from  his  master, 
William  Brown,  of  Framingham,  Massachusetts,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-seven,  being  then  six  feet  two 
inches  high,  with  "  short,  curled  hair,"  Attucks 
made  his  way  to  Boston.  His  master  in  1750 
offered  a  reward  of  ten  pounds  for  him,  but  Crispus 
was  not  found.  When  next  heard  from  he  turns 
up  in  the  streets  of  Boston. 

THE    LEADER    WHO    FEEL    IN    THE  FAMOUS   BOSTON 
MASSACRE. 

Attucks  had  no  doubt  been  listening  to  the  fiery 
eloquence  of  the  patriots  of  those  burning  times. 
The  words  of  the  eloquent  Otis  had  kindled  his 
soul,  and  though  a  runaway  slave,  his  patriotism 
was  so  deep  that  he  it  was  who  sacrificed  his  life 
first  on  the  altar  of  American  Liberty. 

General  Gage,  the  English  commander,  had  taken 
possession  of  Boston.  Under  the  British  flag  gaily 
dressed  soldiers  marched  the  streets  of  Boston  as 
through  a  conquered  city  ;  their  every  act  was  an 


66  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

insult  to  the  inhabitants.  Finally,  on  March  5, 
1770,  Crispus  Attucks,  at  the  head  of  a  crowd  of 
citizens,  resolved  no  longer  to  be  insulted,  and  de- 
termining to  resist  any  invasion  of  their  rights  as 
citizens,  a  fi^-ht  soon  ensued  on  the  street.     The 


Crispus  Attucks  at  the  Boston  Massacre. 

troops  were  ordered  to  fire  on  the  "mob,''  and 
x\ttucks  fell,  the  first  one,  with  three  others,  Cald- 
well, Gray,  and  Maverick.  The  town  bell  was 
rung,  the  alarm  given  and  citizens  from  the  country 
ran  into  Boston,  where  the  greatest  excitement 
prevailed. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  67 

The  Burial  of  Allucks,  the  only  unknown  dead, 
was  from  Faneuil  Hall.  The  funeral  procession 
was  enormous,  and  many  of  the  best  citizens  of 
Boston  readily  followed  this  former  slave  and  un- 
known hero  to  an  honored  grave.  Many  orators 
spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  Crispus  Attucks.  A 
verse  mentioning  him  reads  thus: 

"  Long  as  in  freedom's  cause  the  wise  contend, 
Dear  to  your  country  shall  your  fame  extend  ; 
While  to  the  world  the  lettered  stone  shall  tell 
Where  Caldwell,  Attucks,  Gray  and  Maverick  fell." 


Peler  Salem  shoots  Major   Pitcairn  at  Bunker  Hill. 

Bunker  Hill  was  the  scene  of  a  brave  deed  by  a 
Negro  soldier.  Major  Pitcairn  was  the  commander 
of  the  British  forces  there.  The  battle  was  fierce ; 
victory  seemed  sure  to  the  English,  when  Pitcairn 


68  A  SCHOOL  HISTOR  Y  OF  THE 

naounted  an  eminence,  shouting  triumphantly,  "The 
day  is  ours."  At  this  moment  the  Americans  stood 
as  if  dumfounded,  when  suddenly  there  rushed 
forth  Peter  Salem^  who  fired  directly  at  the  officer's 
breast  and  killed  him.  Salem  was  said  to  have  been 
a  slave,  of  Framingham,  Massachusetts.  General 
Warren,  who  was  killed  in  this  battle,  greatl}^  eulo- 
gized Crispus  Attucks  for  his  bravery  in  Boston, 
and  had  he  not  been  stricken  down  so  soon,  Peter 
Salem  would  doubtless  also  have  received  high  enco- 
miums from  his  eloquent  lips. 

Five  Thousand  Negroes  are  said  to  have  fought 
on  the  side  of  the  colonies  during  the  Revolution. 
Most  of  them  were  from  the  northern  colonies. 
There  were,  possibly,  50,000  Negroes  enlisted  on 
the  side  of  Great  Britain,  and  30,000  of  these  were 
from  Virginia. 

SOME  INDIVIDUALS  OF  REVOLUTIONARY  TIMES. 

Primus  Hall  was  body-servant  of  Colonel  Picker- 
ing in  Massachusetts.  General  Washington  was 
quite  intimate  with  the  Colonel,  and  paid  him  many 
visits.  On  one  occasion  Washington  continued  his 
visit  till  a  late  hour,  and  being  assured  by  Primus 
that  there  were  blankets  enough  to  accommodate 
him,  he  resolved  to  spend  the  night  in  the  Colonel's 
quarters.    Accordingly  two  beds  of  straw  were  made 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  69 

down,  and  Washington  and  Colonel  Pickering  re- 
tired, leaving  Primus  engaged  about  the  tent.  Late 
in  the  night  General  Washington  awoke,  and  seeing 
Primus  sitting  on  a  box  nodding,  rose  up  in  his  bed 
and  said  :  "  Primus,  what  did  you  mean  by  saying 
that  you  had  blankets  enough  ?  Have  you  given 
up  your  blanket  and  straw  to  me,  that  I  may  sleep 
comfortably  while  you  are  obliged  to  sit  through 
the  night?"  "  It's  nothing,"  said  Primus,  "don't 
trouble  yourself  about  me,  General,  but  go  to  sleep 
again.  No  matter  about  me;  I  sleep  very  good." 
"But  it  is  matter;  it  is  matter,"  replied  Wash- 
ington, earnestly.  "  I  cannot  do  it.  Primus.  If 
either  is  to  sit  up,  I  will.  But  I  think  there  is  no 
need  of  either  sitting  up.  The  blanket  is  wide 
enough  for  two  ;  come  and  lie  down  here  with  me." 
"  O,  no,  General,"  said  Primus,  "let  me  sit  here; 
I'll  do  very  well  on  the  box."  Washington  said, 
"  I  say,  come  and  lie  down  here  !  There  is  room 
for  both,  and  I  insist  upon  it."  And,  as  he  spoke, 
he  threw  up  the  blanket  and  moved  to  one  side  of 
the  straw.  Primus  hesitated,  but  Washington  con- 
tinuing to  insist,  Primus  finally  prepared  himself 
aud  laid  down  by  Washington,  and  on  the  same 
straw,  and  under  the  same  blanket,  where  the 
General  and  the  Negro  servant  slept  till  morning. 
Washington  is  said  to  have  been  out  walking  one 
day  in  company  with    some  distinguished  gentle- 


70  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

men,  and  during  the  walk  he  met  an  old  colored 
man,  who  very  politely  tipped  his  hat  and  spoke  to 
the  General.  Washington,  in  turn,  took  off  his  hat 
to  the  colored  man,  on  seeing  which  one  of  the  com- 
pany, in  a  jesting  manner,  inquired  of  the  General 
if  he  usually  took  off  his  hat  to  Negroes.  Where- 
upon Washington  replied:  "Politeness  is  cheap, 
and  I  never  allow  any  one  to  be  more  polite  to  me 
than  I  to  him." 


%.Q 


Brave  Colored  Arlilleryinai 


Judge  Story  gives  an  account  of  a  colored  artil- 
leryman who  was  in  charge  of  a  cannon  with  a 
white  soldier  at  Bunker  Hill.  He  had  one  arm  so 
badly  wounded  he  could  not  use  it.  He  suggested 
to  the  white  soldier  that  he  change  sides  so  as  to 
use  the  other  arm.     He  did  this;  and  while  thus 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  71 

laboring  under  pain  and  loss  of  blood,  a  shot  came 
which  killed  him. 

SAMUEL    LATHAM. 

New  London,  Connecticut,  was  taken  by  the 
British  under  command  of  Arnold,  the  traitor,  in 
1 78 1.  The  American  troops  retreated  to  Fort  Gro- 
ton,  where  the  American  commander,  Ledyard,  was 
in  command.  The  British  came  up  and  overcame 
the  Americans  after  a  bold  resistance.  The  British 
officer  vainl}'  strode  into  the  ramparts  and  said, 
"  Who  commands  this  fort  ?"  Ledyard  replied,  "  I 
once  did ;  you  do  now,"  handing  the  Briton  his 
sword  at  the  same  time,  which  he  took  and  ran 
through  Ledyard  up  to  the  hilt.  Samuel  Latham, 
a  Negro  slave,  stood  near  the  American.  Scarcely 
had  the  British  officer'' s  hand  left  the  murderous  hilt 
when  Latham  ran  him  through  with  his  bayonet. 
The  enemy  rushed  on  him,  and  after  a  most  daring 
fight  he  fell,  not  till  pierced  by  thirty-three  bayo- 
nets. Latham  had  been  left  at  home  by  his 
master  to  care  for  the  stock  when  the  latter  left  to 
help  defend  the  fort;  but  as  soon  as  he  could  un- 
hitch his  team  he  too  made  haste  to  the  scene  of 
the  fra}^,  and  the  above  bold  deed  shows  how  deeply 
he  felt  moved  to  give  his  life  in  defence  of  his 
country. 


72  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

John  Freeman  pinned  Major  Montgomery  to  the 
ground  while  he  was  being  lifted  upon  the  walls  of 
Fort  Griswold. 

Samuel  Charlton  was  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth 
and  several  others.  Washington  complimented 
him  for  his  bravery.  He  returned  to  his  master  in 
New  Jersey  after  the  war,  and  at  his  master's  death 
Charlton,  with  the  other  slaves,  was  set  free  and 
given  a  pension  during  his  life. 

James  Armislead  acted  as  scout  for  LaFayette  in 
the  Virginia  campaign.  He  returned  to  his  master 
after  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  and  was  set  free 
by  a  special  act  of  the  Virginia  Legislature. 

Negro  Soldiers  in  the  North  enlisted  with  the  colo- 
nies so  that  they  might  thus  get  their  freedom  from 
their  Northern  masters,  while  Negro  soldiers  in  the 
South  enlisted  with  the  British,  who  promised  free- 
dom to  all  who  would  join  their  ranks. 

Did  the  Negro  Soldiers  get  their  freedom  after 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  was  over  ?  We  may  say 
yes,  so  far  as  the  Northern  colonies  are  concerned, 
but  not  without  much  opposition  in  the  courts  and 
legislatures.  Virginia  also  passed  an  act  in  1783 
emancipating  the  slaves  who  had  fought  in  the 
Revolution.  Many  individual  slaves  were  eman- 
cipated by  special  acts  of  the  legislatures  for  their 
courage  and  bravery. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  73 

George  Washington  set  his  slaves  free  by  bis  will, 
and  many  slave-owners  did  tbe  same. 

Tbe  slaves  who  joined  tbe  British  army  were 
subjected  to  all  sorts  of  horrors.  Thousands  died 
with  small-pox  and  other  contagious  diseases.  A 
great  number  were  sent  to  the  West  Indies  in 
exchange  "  for  rum,  sugar,  coffee  and  fruit." 

LAFAYETTE  AND  KOSCIUSKO. 

LaFaj^ette,  the  brilliant  j^oung  Frenchman,  and 
Kosciusko,  the  generous  Pole,  volunteered  their  ser- 
vices in  behalf  of  freedom  for  the  Americans  during 
the  Revolution.  They  fought,  though,  for  the  free- 
dom of  all  Americans.  LaFayette  said  in  a  letter 
to  a  Mr.  Clarkson  :  "I  would  never  have  drawn 
my  sword  in  the  cause  of  America  if  I  could  have 
conceived  that  thereby  I  was  founding  a  land  of 
slavery." 

While  Visiting  America  in  1825  he  expressed  a 
warm  desire  to  see  some  of  the  many  colored  sol- 
diers whom  he  "  rem^embered  as  participating  with 
him  in  various  skirmishes."  -He  believed  in  free- 
dom to  all  men,  and  to  put  in  practice  his  anti- 
slavery  ideas  he  bought  a  plantation  in  French 
Guiana.  There  he  collected  all  the  "whips  and 
other  instruments  of  torture  and  punishment,  and 


74  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

made  a  bonfire  of  them  in  the  presence  of  the 
assembled  slaves." 

He  Gave  One  Day  in  each  week  to  the  slaves,  and 
as  soon  as  one  could  earn  enough  he  might  pur- 
chase another  day,  and  so  on  until  he  gained  his 
freedom." 

Kosciusko  Expressed  great  sorrow  to  learn  that 
the  colored  men  who  served  in  the  Revolution  were 
not  thereby  to  gain  their  freedom.  He  left  $20,000 
in  the  hands  of  Thomas  Jefferson  to  be  used  in 
educating  colored  children. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  lb 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  WAR  OF  1S12. 

The  War  of  the  Revolution  ended  in  1781  at 
Yorktown.  Many  of  the  brave  Negroes  who  shed 
their  blood  and  helped  to  win  America's  liberty 
from  England  were,  as  soon  as  the  war  closed,  put 
back  into  bondage.  They  were  in  the  "  Land  of 
the  Free,"  but  themselves  slaves.  Other  troubles 
arose  very  soon  between  England  and  America. 
England  still  kept  standing  armies  in  America,  and 
claimed  the  right  to  search  American  vessels  for 
British  sailors  who  had  deserted.  They  often  took 
off  American  seamen. 

One  Negro  and  Two  White  sailors  were  taken 
from  the  American  man-of-war  "  Chesapeake  "  after 
she  had  been  fired  upon.  Canada  gave  arms  to  and 
incited  the  Indians  in  the  Northwest  against  the 
Americans.  Finally,  in  181 2,  war  was  declared, 
during  Madison's  administration. 

.  Negro  Troops  were  very  much  needed,  as  the 
Americans  had  a  very  poor  navy,  and  England, 
having  whipped  the  French,  was  now  ready  to  turn 
all  her  forces  against  America. 

A  Call  for  Volunteers  from  the  Union  was  issued, 
and  many  thousands  of  free  Negroes  answered  the 


76  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

call.  The  slaves  were  not  allowed  to  enlist  in  the 
militia.  Gen.  Jackson  thus  spoke  to  his  colored 
troops  : 

"  To  the  Men  of  Color — Soldiers :  From  the 
shores  of  Mobile  I  collected  you  to  arms.  I  invited 
you  to  share  in  the  perils  and  to  divide  the  glory 
with  your  white  countrymen.  I  expected  much 
from  you,  for  I  was  not  uninformed  of  those  quali- 
ties which  must  render  you  so  formidable  to  an 
invading  foe.  I  knew  that  you  could  endure  hun- 
ger and  thirst  and  all  the  hardships  of  war.  I 
knew  that  you  loved  the  land  of  your  nativity,  and 
that,  like  ourselves,  you  had  to  defend  all  that  is 
most  dear  to  man.  But  you  have  surpassed  all  my 
hopes.  I  have  found  in  you,  united  to  these  quali- 
ties, that  noble  enthusiasm  which  impels  to  great 
deeds. 

"  Soldiers,  the  President  of  the  United  States 
shall  be  informed  of  your  conduct  on  the  present 
occasion,  and  the  voice  of  the  Representatives  of 
the  American  nation  shall  applaud  your  valor  as 
your  General  now  praises  your  ardor.  The  enemy 
is  near.  His  sails  cover  the  lakes  ;  but  the  brave 
are  united,  and  if  he  finds  us  contending  among 
ourselves,  it  will  be  for  the  prize  of  valor,  and  fame, 
its  noblest  reward." 

The  Battle  of  New  Orleans,  we  will  remember, 
ended  in  defeat  for  the  British.     Over  two  thousand 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  77 

were  lost  to  the  British,  while  the  American  loss 
was  seven  killed  and  six  wounded.  There  were 
over  four  hundred  Negroes  in  this  battle,  and  ihey 
occupied  "  no  mean  place  and  did  no  mean  service." 
The  British  had  a  battalion  of  Negroes  from  the 
Island  of  San  Domingo  in  this  battle.  The  idea 
of  fortifying  the  city  with  cotton  is  said  to  have 
been  the  suggestion  of  a  slave  who  was  a  native 
African,  and  learned  this  mode  of  defence  from  the 
Arabs. 

Mr.  D.  Lee  Child,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  states 
that  the  famous  coitori  breastzvorks,  recognized  the 
world  over  as  a  stroke  of  genius  on  the  part  of 
Gen.  Jackson,  was  the  suggestion  of  a  colored  man, 
a  native  African.  He  gives  some  data  from  a  Por- 
tuguese manuscript  to  prove  that  this  mode  of  de- 
fence is  in  practice  among  the  native  Africans,  who 
thus  defend  their  wives  and  children  against  the 
Arabs. 

NEGROES    IN    THE    NAVY    OF    l8l2. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  discrimination  against  any 
class  of  citizens  joining  our  navy ;  nor  is  there  now. 
About  one-fifth  of  the  marines  were  Negroes.  That 
they  did  valuable  service  is  testified  to  by  numerous 
commanders.  Read  what  Commander  Nathaniel 
Shaler  of  the  "private  armed"  schooner  "Gover- 
nor Tompkins  "  says,  in  a  letter  as  follows  : — 


78  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

"  At  Sea,  Jan.  i,  1813. 
"My  officers  conducted  themselves  in  a  way  that 
would  have  done  honor  to  a  more  permanent  ser- 
vice  The  name  of  one  of  my  poor  fellows 

who  was  killed  ou^ht  to  be  registered  in  the  book  of 
fame^  and  remembered  with  reverence  as  long  as 
bravery  is  a  virtue.  He  was  a  black  man,  by  the 
name  oi  John  Johnson.  A  twenty-four  pound  shot 
struck  him  in  the  hip  and  took  away  all  the  lower 
part  of  his  body.  In  this  state  the  poor,  brave 
fellow  lay  on  the  deck,  and  several  times  exclaimed 
to  his  shipmates,  ^ Fire  aivay^  my  Iwys  ;  7io  haul  a 
color  down  .f  The  other  was  a  black  man  by  the 
name  of  John  Davis,  and  was  struck  in  much  the 
same  way.  He  fell  near  me,  and  several  times  re- 
quested to  be  thrown  overboard,  saying  he  was  only 
in  the  way  of  others.  While  America  has  such  tars, 
she  has  little  to  fear  from  the  tyrants  of  the  ocean." 

Captain  Perry  had  command  of  the  American 
fleet  on  Lake  Erie.  He  objected  to  recruits  sent 
him,  and  described  them  in  a  letter  to  Commodore 
Chauncey  as  "a  motley  set — blacks,  soldiers  and 
boys."  Commodore  Chauncey  replied:  "I  regret 
that  you  are  not  pleased  with  the  men  sent  you. 
....  I  have  yet  to  learn  that  the  color  of  the  skin, 
or  the  cut  and  trimmings  of  the  coat,  can  affect  a 
man's   qualifications   or   usefulness.     I   have   fifty 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  79 

blacks  on  board  this  ship,  and  many  of  them  are 
among  my  best  men." 

Usher  Parsons,  Surgeon  of  the  "Java,"  under 
Commodore  Perry,  wrote  that  the  whites  and  blacks 
of  his  ship  messed  together,  and  there  seemed  to 
be  no  prejudice. 

The  End  of  the  War  of  1812  meant  victory  for 
America,  and  the  Negro  had  scored  a  telling  point 
in  behalf  of  his  recognition  as  an  American  citizen. 
But  still  many  were  in  slavery. 

Major  Jeffreys,  a  "  regular,"  during  the  engage- 
ment of  Major-General  Andrew  Jackson  at  Mobile, 
mounted  a  horse  and  rallied  the  retreating  troops 
to  victor}^  against  the  British,  when  the  white  com- 
manders were  forced  to  retire  and  defeat  seemed 
certain.  Gen.  Jackson  gave  him  the  title  of  Major, 
which  he  bore  till  his  death  in  Nashville,  Tenn.  He 
was  much  respected  by  all  classes.  On  one  occa- 
sion a  white  ruffian  insulted  him.  Words  ensued, 
and  Major  Jeffre3's  was  forced  to  strike  the  white 
man  in  self-defence.  For  this,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years,  this  veteran,  who  had  won  a  victory  for  his 
country  on  the  battle-field,  was  ordered  to  be  given 
"nine  and  thirty  lashes  with  a  raw  hide."  He  did 
not  recover  from  the  effects  of  this  treatment,  and 
soon  died  of  a  broken  heart. 

Jordon  Noble  was  among  the  colored  veterans 
of  the  War  of  1812.     For  a  long  time  after  the  war 


80  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

he  lived  in  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  brought  out 
on  every  great  occasion  to  give  enthusiasm.  Jor- 
don  Noble's  name  appearing  in  connection  with 
any  great  occasion  was  sufficient  guarantee  of  a 
tremendous  crowd.  He  was  drummer  to  the  First 
Regiment  Louisiana  Volunteers  in  the  Mexican 
War  of  1846,  and  led  the  attack  against  the  British 
in  the  Battle  of  New  Orleans  under  Jackson  in  18 14. 
He  was  known  as  the  "matchless  drummer." 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  81 

CHAPTER  XV. 

EFFORTS  FOR  FREEDOM. 

The  War  of  1812  was  now  over.  America  re- 
mained at  peace  with  other  nations  about  thirty-two 
years,  when  the  Mexican  war  broke  out  in  1846. 
During  this  interval  a  war  of  words  between  Amer- 
icans themselves  was  waged ;  and  there  were  heroes 
in  this  contest,  many  of  them  Negroes  and  former 
slaves,  and  some  of  them  women,  who  merit  equal 
rank  with  the  brave  heroes  of  former  battles. 

The  Abolitionists,  who  were  opposed  to  slavery, 
furnished  many  brave  hearts  and  strong  minds  from 
their  ranks.  Their  work  began  very  early  in  the 
history  of  the  colonies;  it  continued  with  slow 
growth  for  awhile,  but,  nevertheless,  certain  and 
effectual.  The  Quakers  of  Pennsylvania  were  fore- 
most in  the  work  of  abolition.  They  set  nearly  all 
their  slaves  free.  Anti-slavery  societies  were  formed 
in  nearly  all  the  Northern  States. 

Benjamin  Lundy  is  mentioned  as  tlie  earliest 
leader  of  the  Abolitionists.  He  published  a  paper 
called.  77?^  Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation.  He 
visited  nineteen  States  of  the  Union,  travelled 
upwards  of  five  thousand  miles  on  foot,  and  more 
than  twenty  thousand  in  other  ways,  and  held  more 


82  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

thau  two  hundred  public  meetings.  Lundy's  paper 
was  not  regarded  as  very  dangerous  to  the  institu- 
tion of  slavery  ;  but  "CVi^  Journal  of  the  Tivies^  pub- 
lished first  at  Bennington,  Vermont,  in  support  of 
J.  Q.  Adams  for  the  Presidenc}^,  became  the  invet- 
erate foe  to  slavery  under  the  editorship  of  William 
Lloyd  Garrison,  who  was  mobbed  in  the  streets  of 
Boston,  and  imprisoned  for  libel  in  the  city  of  Bal- 
timore for  denouncing  the  crew  of  the  ship  "Francis 
Todd,"  on  board  of  which  were  many  ill-treated 
slaves  bound  for  the  slave  marts  of  New  Orleans. 
Garrison  and  Lundy  united  in  getting  out  The 
Gejuns  of  Universal  Emancipation  at  Baltimore. 

Arthur  Tappan  paid  Garrison's  fine,  and  the  enemy 
to  slavery  commenced  his  war  with  more  vigor  and 
zeal  than  before.  In  1831  The  Liberator  v7?iS  first 
published  by  Garrison,  and,  as  was  his  desire,  it 
continued  till   "everj^  slave  in   America  was  free." 

A  "Colored  Wan,"  James  Forten,  sent  fifty  dollars 
among  the  first  twent3'-five  subscriptions  that  came 
to  The  Liberator.  Garrison  thought  it  his  duty  to 
obey  God  rather  than  man,  and  he  denounced  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  as  being  a  "Cov- 
enant with  death  and  an  agreement  with  hell," 
because  he  held  that  it  supported  slavery. 

The  National  Anti-Slavery  Convention,  white,  was 
held   in    1836;    it   had  delegates  from   ten   States, 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  83 

and  1006  anti-slavery  societies  existed  in  the  differ- 
ent States. 

The  Free  Colored  People  of  the  North  had  also  held 
an  anti-slavery  convention  in  1831,  Their  first 
work  was  to  get  recognition  from  the  white  organi- 
zations, who  shut  them  out.  The  "Anti-Slavery 
Free  Women  of  America"  organized  in  1837,  in 
New  York.  Mary  S.  Parker  was  President,  Ange- 
lina E.  Grimkie,  Secretary. 

Miss  Sarah  Forten  addressed  the  following  verses 
to  her  white  sisters  in  behalf  of  co-operation  : 

"We  are  thy  sisters.      God  has  truly  said 
That  of  one  blood  all  nations  he  has  made. 
O  Christian  woman!  in  a  Christian  land, 
Canst  thou  unblushing  read  this  great  command? 
Suffer  the  wrongs  which  wring  our  inmost  heart, 
To  draw  one  throb  of  pity  on  thy  part? 
Our  skins  may  differ,  but  from  thee  we  claim 
A  sister's  privilege  and  a  sister's  name." 

Soon  after  this  the  free  Negroes  of  the  North 
acted  together  with  the  whites  in  the  great  fight 
against  slavery.  Negro  orators  told  in  eloquent 
st3^1e  the  sad  story  of  the  bondage  of  their  race. 

Frederick  Douglass,  once  a  slave  in  Maryland, 
electrified  the  whole  country  with  his  eloquence.  He 
stood  then,  and  stands  now,  as  a  living,  breathing, 
convincing  argument  against  the  claim  that  the  Ne- 
gro's intellectual  capacities  fit  him  only  for  slavery. 
Mr.  Douglass  visited  Europe  and  was  received  there 


84  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

with  an  ovation,  for  the  cause  of  the  slave  had  leaped 
across  the  Atlantic  and  touched  a  sympathetic  chord 
in  many  a  British,  heart. 

Many  Books  were  written  by  Negroes,  as  well  as 
whites.  Frederick  Douglass  wrote  "  My  Bondage 
and  My  Freedom  ;"  Bishop  Loguen,  "  As  a  Slave 
and  as  a  Freeman  ;"  other  works  were  written  by 
Rev.  Samuel  R.  Ward,  Rev.  Austin  Stewart,  Solo- 
mon Northrop,  Dr.  Wm.  Wells  Brown,  and  others. 
William  Whipper  edited  an  abolition  paper,  known 
as  the  National  Reformer. 

Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,  by  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe,  was  the  most  read,  and  the  most  effectual 
work  against  slavery.  Mrs.  Stowe  desired  to  arouse 
the  people  to  see  the  wrong  of  slavery,  to  the  end 
that  it  might  be  speedily  abolished.  The  book  was 
a  success  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  object  aimed 
at.  While  some  of  her  characters  were  described 
as  kind  and  humane  in  the  treatment  of  their  slaves, 
the  book  so  portrayed  the  hardships  necessarily  inci- 
dent to  slavery  in  the  separation  of  families,  etc., 
and  the  cruelties  which  could  be  practiced  under 
it,  that  it,  in  a  special  manner,  arrested  the  atten- 
tion of  the  people,  and  was  very  widel}^  read. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  85 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

FREDERICK  DOUGLASS. 

This  great  man  is  well  known  to  the  world.  He 
is  a  conspicuous  representative  of  the  talents  and 
capabilities  possessed  by  the  colored  race.  Born  a 
slave  on  a  plantation  in  Maryland,  he  has  gradu- 
ally, by  industry  and  patient  labor,  worked  himself 
to  a  high  rank  of  honor,  both  in  America  and 
Europe.  When  Frederick  Douglass  speaks  the 
world  listens. 

The  first  ten  years  of  Mr.  Douglass'  youth  were 
spent  on  one  of  the  many  plantations  of  a  rich 
planter  named  Lloj^d,  in  the  State  of  Maryland. 
He  was  separated  from  his  mother,  who  saw  him 
only  at  long  intervals.  He  and  other  little  slave 
boys  grew  up  almost  from  infancy  in  their  tow 
shirts,  with  their  ash-cake  rations  and  frequent 
beatings  given  them  by  a  certain  "old  Aunt  Kate," 
who  had  charge  of  the  children  on  the  plantation. 
In  this  wild  wa}^  young  Fred  was  left  to  grow  up 
as  best  he  could  among  the  rough  farm  hands  and 
without  a  mother's  care.  He  describes  his  mother 
to  have  been  a  noble-looking  woman,  with  the 
deepest  of  motherly  affection  and  very  fond  of  him, 


86  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

as  shown  by  her  running  dangerous  risks  and  often 
walking  many  long  miles  to  see  him. 


^# 


");. 


^ 


At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  was  sent  by  his  "Old 
Master"  to  live  with  his  young  mistress,  in  Balti- 
more, who  was  connected  with  the  Lloyd  family. 
This   young   lady    became    attached    to    him,   and 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  87 

taught  him  to  read.  He  learned  to  read  the  Bible 
and  made  such  rapid  progress  that  the  young  lady, 
feeling  very  proud  of  her  work,  told  her  husband. 
When  he  found  it  out  he  forbade  her  teaching  him 
au}^  further,  saying  it  was  unlawful,  "  could  only 
lead  to  mischief,"  and,  "if  3^ou  give  a  nigger  an 
inch  he  will  take  an  ell."  Nevertheless,  Fred  soon 
became  proficient  in  reading,  and  he  learned  to 
write  by  the  models  in  his  young  master's  copy- 
book. He  bought  a  book  called  the  Columbian 
Orator,  in  wliich  he  found  speeches  from  Sheridan, 
Lord  Chatham,  William  Pitt,  and  Fox.  These  he 
read  many  times  and  gained  much  mental  help  from 
them. 

Finally,  young  Fred,  whose  mind  now  was  en- 
lightened, became  so  dissatisfied  with  his  position 
as  a  slave  that  he  grew  morose  and  gloomy.  His 
\^ouug  mistress  chided  him  for  this  conduct,  and  it 
finall}''  became  necessary  to  hire  him  out.  He  soon 
found  a  good  opportunity  and  ran  away  to  New 
Bedford,  Mass.  Here  he  found  emplo3mient  and 
spent  his  leisure  time  in  study.  He  read  Scott's 
"Lady  of  the  Lake,"  and  there  came  across  the 
name  of  Douglass,  which  he  for  the  first  time  as- 
sumed. He  attended  church  ;  was  surprised  to  see 
the  colored  people  transacting  their  own  business. 
Some  of  the  first  money  he  earned  in  New  Bedford 
was  invested  in  a  snbscription  to    lyie  Liheralor. 


88  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

He  was  not  long  in  coming  to  the  front.  His  story 
of  escape  from  slavery  was  told  in  the  various 
churches,  and  the  year  1841  found  him  on  the  stage 
before  an  anti-slavery  convention  at  Nantucket.  A 
tremendous  crowd  was  present,  and  the  wildest 
enthusiasm  prevailed.  Mr.  William  Lloyd  Garri- 
son followed  Mr.  Douglass  with  a  strong  speech 
for  the  abolition  of  slavery.  Mr.  Douglass'  career 
thus  begun,  continued ;  he  spoke  often  and  mightily 
for  the  cause  of  freedom.  He  became  a  leading 
orator  of  the  time,  and  his  presence  was  sufficient 
to  draw  a  crowd  in  the  bitterest  pro-slavery  com- 
munity. 

Since  freedom,  Mr.  Douglass  has  held  several 
important  positions  under  the  National  Govern- 
ment. He  was  once  Recorder  of  Deeds  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  Minister  to  the  Haytian 
Republic. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  89 

CHAPTSR  XVII. 

LIBERIA. 

The  Republic  of  Liberia  was  founded  in  1816,  by 
the  American  Colonization  Society  as  a  place  of 
refuge  and  safety  to  the  colored  people  of  America 
who,  before  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  various 
States,  had  been  set  free  by  their  masters,  or, 
through  industry,  had  purchased  their  liberty  them- 
selves. It  is  located  on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa, 
south  of  Sierra  Leone,  and  is  very  productive  of 
rice,  coffee,  indigo,  peanuts,  arrowroot,  sugar,  pep- 
per, logwood,  palm-oil,  and  cotton.  Gold  and  other 
minerals  are  found  in  considerable  quantities.  The 
climate  seems   ill-adapted  to  the  American  Negro. 

Mr.  Jehudi  Ashmun  was  the  pioneer  in  planting 
the  colony,  assisted  by  Lott  Carey.  The  natives 
resisted  the  settlers,  and  for  the  first  six  years 
there  were  continual  attempts  to  drive  them  out. 
Mr.  Ashmun's  health  finally  failed,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  leave  the  colony,  now  numbering  1,200 
free  Americana,  to  themselves  in  this  new  and  wild 
land.  They  shed  bitter  tears  on  his  departure,  some 
clinging  even  to  his  garments.  But,  left  to  them- 
selves, the  Negroes  did  not  lose  all  hope.  They  set 
about  to  found  a  government  similar  to  that  of  the 


90  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

United  States.  They  elected  their  first  President, 
Joseph  J.  Roberts;  organized  a  cabinet,  established 
schools,  made  labor  obligator}-,  and  their  flag  is  now 
recognized  by  the  nations  of  Europe  and  the  United 
States. 

Its  population  is  now  over  20,000  Negroes  who 
went  from  America,  or  who  are  the  descendants  of 
American  Negroes.  The  influence  of  Liberia  is 
exercised  over  a  million  of  people  along  the  West 
Coast  of  Africa.  They  speak  English,  and  from 
them  many  tribes  have  learned  our  language  and 
the  arts  of  civilization.  Tlie  United  States  has  sent 
six  Ministers  to  represent  her  at  Monrovia,  the 
Liberian  capital,  viz. :  from  North  Carolina,  Messrs. 
J.  H.  Smythe,  Moses  A.  Hopkins,  and  F,.  E.  Smith  ; 
from  New  York,  Henry  H.  Garnet;  Alexander 
Clark,  of  Iowa,  and  C.  H.  J.  Taylor,  of  Kansas. 
The  exports  of  Liberia  aggregate  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  million  dollars  annually. 

Success  has  thus  far  attended  the  country,  though 
the  climate,  atmosphere,  and  the  surroundings  are 
most  unfavorable  and  not  stimulating.  The  fact  that 
these  colored  people  have  succeeded  shows  what 
the  race  can  do  under  favorable  cirAimstances. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

NAT.  TURNER  AND  OTHERS  WHO 
"STRUCK"  FOR  FREEDOM. 

Nathaniel  Turner  is  well  reiiienibered  by  many 
of  the  older  people  of  Southampton,  Virginia,  as 
being  the  leader  of  the  famous  "  Nat  Turner  Insur- 
rection" of  that  county.  He  was  an  unusually 
bright  child,  having  learned  to  read  and  write  with 
such  skill  and  rapidity  that  his  own  people  and  the 
neighbors  regarded  him  as  a  prodigy.  It  is  said 
that  his  mother  predicted  in  his  presence  one  day 
that  he  would,  be  a  prophet,  and  he  remembered 
her  prediction  till  he  grew  older.  Turner  devoted 
himself  to  the  study  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  con- 
dition of  his  people.  He  believed  his  lot  was  to  set 
them  free.  He  said  he  had  visions  of  white  and 
black  spirits  fighting  in  battle.  He  imagined  a 
voice  spoke  thus  to  him  in  a  vision  :  "Such  is  your 
luck  ;  such  you  are  called  to  see  ;  and  let  it  come 
rough  or  smooth  you  must  bear  it."  He  thought, 
while  laboring  in  the  fields,  "he  discovered  drops 
of  blood  on  the  corn,  as  tliough  it  were  dew  from 
heaven,"  and  he  thought  he  saw  on  the  leaves  of 
trees  pictures  of  men  written  in  blood. 

A  Plan  of  Insurrection  was  devised  in  the  month 


92  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

of  February,  1831.  Nat,  together  with  four  of  his 
friends,  Sara  Edwards,  Henry  Porter,  Nelson  Wil- 
liams, and  Hark  Travis,  held  a  council  of  war,  as 
it  were,  in  some  lonely,  desolate  spot  in  the  woods, 
where  they  discussed  the  project  of  freeing  the 
slaves.  Nat  said,  in  his  speech,  that  his  purpose 
was  not  to  shed  blood  wantonly  ;  but  in  order  to 
arouse  his  brethren  he  believed  it  necessary  to  kill 
such  of  the  whites  as  would  be  most  likely  to  give 
them  trouble.  He,  like  John  Brown,  expected  his 
slave  brethren  to  join  him. 

The  Fatal  Stroke  was  given  in  the  month  of 
August,  1 83 1.  The  first  house  visited  was  that  of 
a  Mr.  Joseph  Travis.  While  on  the  way,  a  slave 
from  this  plantation  joined  Nat's  party.  He  was  a 
giant  of  a  man,  athletic,  quick,  and  "  best  man  on 
the  muscle  in  the  county,"  and  was  known  as 
"  Will."  The  slaves  were  armed  with  axes  and 
knives,  and  they  killed,  indiscriminately,  young 
and  old,  fifty-seven  white  persons,  before  they  them- 
selves were  killed  or  captured. 

Several  Artillery  Companies  from  Richmond,  Pe- 
tersburg, Norfolk  and  Portsmouth,  with  one  cavalry 
company,  were  ordered  out  to  take  Nat  and  his  fol- 
lowers. In  a  hand-to-hand  struggle  "Will"  fell.  His 
last  words  were  :  "Bury  my  axe  with  me."  Nat 
escaped  with  some  others  to  the  swamps,  where  he 
eluded  the  whites  for  nearly  three  months.     After 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  93 

surrendering,  he  was  brought  into  court,  and  an- 
swered Not  Guilty  to  the  inquiry  of  the  judge. 
The  trial  was  gone  through  with.  Nat  was  con- 
victed and  condemned  to  die  on  the  gallows.  He 
received  the  sentence  with  total  indifference,  but 
made  a  prophecy  that  on  the  day  of  his  execution 
unusual  occurrences  would  appear  in  the  heavens  ; 
the  sun  would  be  darkened  and  immense  clouds 
would  appear,  and  threatening  lightning.  Many 
of  the  people  believed  it.  The  sheriff  could  find 
no  one  willing  to  cut  the  rope  ;  but  a  drunken  sot, 
crazed  by  liquor,  did  the  act  for  pay.  The  day  of  the 
execution,  strange  to  say,  as  Nat  had  prophesied,  was 
one  of  stormy  and  gloomy  aspect,  with  terrible  thun- 
der, ram  and  lightning.  Nat  kept  up  his  courage  to 
the  last;  and  his  neck  in  the  noose  not  a  muscle 
quivered,  or  a  groan  was  uttered.  He  was,  undoubt- 
edly, a  wonderful  character.  Knowing,  as  he  did, 
the  risk  he  ran,  what  an  immense  courage  he  must 
have  had  to  undertake  this  bold  adventure.  He 
was  thus  spoken  of  by  a  Mr.  Gray,  who  interviewed 
him:  "It  has  been  said  that  he  was  ignorant  and 
cowardly,  and  that  his  purpose  was  to  murder 
and  rob.  It  is  notorious  that  he  was  never  known 
to  have  a  dollar  in  his  life,  to  swear  an  oath,  or 
drink  a  drop  of  spirits.  He  can  read  and  write, 
and  for  natural  intelligence  and  quickness  of  appre- 


«4  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

hension  is  surpassed  by  few  men  I  have  ever 
seen."* 

Avery  Watkins,  a  colored  preacher  of  Rocking- 
ham, North  Carolina,  is  said  to  have  been  hanged 
in  Rockingham,  North  Carolina,  charged  with 
endorsing  the  Nat  Turner  insurrection,  because  in 
a  private  conversation  with  his  family  he  related  to 
them  something  of  what  Nat  Turner  was  doing  in 
Southampton,  where  he  had  lately  been  on  a  visit 
to  his  grandmother.  According  to  the  account  of 
Mr.  W.  H.  Quick,  he  was  taken  by  a  mob  at  a 
camp-meeting,  and  tried  and  hung  in  the  same 
month,  in  the  year  183 1. 

IVIadison  Washington  was  the  name  of  a  brave 
slave  who,  being  a  part  of  a  cargo  of  135  slaves  en 
route  to  New  Orleans  from  Virginia,  when  Oie  boat 
was  eight  days  out  organized  the  slaves,  made  an 
onslaught  on  the  officers,  took  possession  of  the 
boat  and  carried  it  to  Nassau,  an  English  posses- 
sion, where  England  gave  them  protection,  refusing 
to  surrender  them  as  "murderers  and  mutineers  to 
perish  on  Southern  gibbets." 

The  Kindness  of  Washington  in  dressing  the  Cap- 

*  One  author  says  :  "  Upwards  of  one  hundred  slaves  were  slaugh- 
tered in  the  Southampton  Tragedy,  many  of  them  in  cold  blood 
while  walking  in  the  streets,  and  about  sixty  white  persons.  Some 
of  the  alleged  conspirators  had  their  noses  and  ears  cut  off,  the  flesh 
of  their  cheeks  cut  out,  their  jaws  broken  asunder,  and  in  that  con- 
dition they  were  set  up  as  marks  to  be  shot  at." 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  95 

tain's  wounds  and  protecting  and  caring  for  his 
wife  and  children,  marked  him  as  a  most  magnani- 
mous foe.  Only  one  white  man  of  the  twelve  com- 
manding the  ship  was  killed.  He  having  fired  into 
the  slaves  came  at  them  with  a  pike ;  thereupon 
he  was  stabbed  by  one  of  Washington's  men,  who 
wrenched  a  bowie-knife  from  the  hands  of  the  cap- 
tain. Washington's  only  wish  was,  not  blood,  but 
freedom,  which  he  gained. 

"the   VIRGINIA   MAROONS." 

The  Famous  Dismal  Swamp,  some  fifty  miles 
long,  extending  from  Norfolk,  Virginia,  into  North 
Carolina,  was  a  noted  rendezvous  for  runaway  slaves 
before  tlie  civil  war.  It  is  estimated  that  the  slave 
propel^'  in  this  swamp  was  worth  a  million  and  a 
half  dollars.  The}^  carried  on  a  secret  trade  with 
the  Virginia  merchants,  but  any  merchant  caught 
fostering  these  people  by  trading  with  them  was 
punished  severely  by  law.  The  traders  who  were 
pursued  found  shelter  among  the  maroons  of  the 
swamp.  The  chivalry  of  the  Old  Dominion  never 
dared  to  venture  into  this  colony,  and  blood-hounds 
sent  in  came  out  no  more.  The  Dismal  Swamp 
colony  continued  from  generation  to  generation, 
defying  and  outwitting  the  slave-owners  right  in 
the  midst  of  one  of  the  strongest  slave-holding 
communities  in  the  South. 


96  a  school  history  of  the 

"the  amistad  captives." 

Fifty-four  Africans  on  board  the  Spanish  slave- 
schooner  "Amistad,"  under  Captain  Ramon  Ferrer, 
on  June  28,  1839,  sailed  from  Havana,  Cuba,  for 
Porto  Principe,  another  place  on  the  island  of  Cuba, 
about  three  hundred  miles  distant  from  Havana. 
The  fifty-four  slaves  were  just  from  Lemboko,  their 
native  country  in  Africa.  Joseph  Cinquez,  son  of 
an  African  prince,  vi^as  among  them.  He  was 
shrewd,  brave  and  intelligent.  He  looked  on  with 
disgust  at  the  cruel  treatment  given  him  and  his 
fellow-slaves,  some  being  "chained  down  between 
the  decks — space  not  more  than  four  feet — by  their 
wrists  and  ankles;  forced  to  eat  rice,  sick  or  well, 
and  whipped  upon  the  slightest  provocation  Cin- 
quez witnessed  the  brutality  as  long  as  his  noble 
nature  would  allow,  and  when  they  were  about  five 
nights  out  from  Havana,  he  chose  a  company  of 
confederates  from  among  his  brethren  and  made  an 
assault  on  the  captain  of  the  boat,  and  took  him  and 
his  crew  prisoners.  Two  sailors  struck  out  for  land 
when  they  found  their  captain  and  cook  in  chains, 
and  left  the  boat  in  full  possession  of  the  Negroes. 
The  man  at  the  helm  (Montes)  was  ordered  to  steer 
direct  for  Africa,  under  pain  of  death.  This  he  did 
by  day,  but  at  night  would  make  towards  the  coast 
of  America.     Finally,  after  continual   wandering, 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  97 

the  vessel  was  cited  off  the  coast  of  the  United  States 
in  August.  All  the  ports  were  notified,  and  a  num- 
ber of  revenue  cutters  were  dispatched  after  her. 
She  was  finally  captured  on  the  26th  of  August, 
1839,  by  Lieut.  Gidney  of  the  United  States  Navy, 
and  the  "  Amistad  "  and  her  fifty-four  Africans  were 
landed  in  New  London,  Connecticut.  The  two 
Spaniards  found  on  board  the  vessel  were  examined 
by  the  United  States  officials,  and  the  whole  num- 
ber of  Africans  were  bound  over  to  await  trial  as 
pirates.  They  being  unable  to  give  bond  of  course 
went  to  prison,  but  not  to  stay  long.  Public  senti- 
ment was  everywhere  aroused  in  their  favor.  The 
anti-slavery  friends  organized  schools  among  them; 
the  Africans  learned  rapidl}'  and  soon  told  all  the 
details  of  the  capture  of  the  "Amistad  "  in  English 
from  their  own  lips  without  an  interpreter.  The 
trial  occupied  several  months,  during  which  they 
busied  themselves  in  cultivating  a  garden  of  fif- 
teen acres  in  a  most  skillful  and  intelligent  man- 
ner. Their  grievances  were  told  all  over  America, 
and  aroused  the  sympathies  of  the  people.  Finally, 
the  court  decided  that  the  "Amistad  captives  "  were 
not  slaves  but  freemen.  A  thrill  of  joy  passed 
through  many  an  American  heart,  as  well  as  their 
own,  and  when  the  news  of  this  decision  spread 
abroad,  subscriptions  began  to  come  in.  Mr.  Lewis 
Tappan  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  Africans,  and 


98  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

in  one  way  and  another  soon  got  together  enough 
money  to  send  them  home  to  Africa,  where  they  so 
much  wanted  to  go.  "  If  'Merica  men  offered  me 
as  much  gold  as  fill  this  cap,"  said  one,  "and  give 
me  houses,  land  and  everything,  so  dat  I  stay  in 
this  country,  I  say  No!  No!!  I  want  to  see  my 
father,  my  mother,  my  brother,  my  sister."  One 
said,  "We  owe  everything  to  God;  He  keeps  us 
alive,  and  makes  us  free.  When  we  go  home  to 
Mendi,  we  tell  our  brethren  about  God,  Jesus  Christ 
and  Heaven."  One  was  asked,  if  he  was  again 
captured  and  about  to  be  sold  into  slavery,  would 
he  murder  the  captain  and  cook  of  another  vessel, 
and  if  he  wouldn't  pray  for  rather  than  kill  them? 
Cinquez  heard  it  and  replied,  shaking  his  head, 
"Yes;  I  would  pray  for  'em  and  kill  'em, Too." 

These  people  were  sent  to  Sierra  Leone  in  Africa 
in  company  with  five  sainted  missionaries.  Great 
Britain  sent  them  from  Sierra  Leone  to  their  homes, 
and  thus  their  efforts  for  freedom  were  successful. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  9« 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

ANTI-SLAVERY  AGITATION. 

Slavery  or  No  Slavery  was  the  question  now  before 
the  American  people.  Millions  of  tracts,  pamphlets, 
circulars  and  newspapers,  besides  the  ministers  and 
orators  of  the  North,  were  now  making  sentiment 
against  slavery.  The  people  of  the  North  were 
aroused. 

The  Census  of  1850  gave  a  population  of  three 
and  one-half  million  slaves  in  America,  and  they 
lived  in  the  States  of  Delaware,  New  Jersey,  Mary- 
land, Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana, 
Texas,  Arkansas,  Utah  Territory,  Kentucky,  Mis- 
souri and  Tennessee.  Soon  after  this  New  Jersey, 
Delaware  and  Maryland  freed  their  slaves. 

The  Political  Parlies  were  forced  to  take  up  the 
slavery  question.  The  politicians  were  wily,  and 
yielded  to  both  sides  for  polic3^'s  sake.  The  South 
opposed  every  legislative  act  that  favored  the  abo- 
lition of  slavery.  The  great  Daniel  Webster  hesi- 
tated to  take  a  decided  stand  either  way,  and  in  1858 
Charles  Sumner,  a  staunch  anti-slavery  man,  came 
to  the  Senate  from  Massachusetts  in  Webster's 
place.     Mr.  Sumner  said  more  and  did  more  for  the 


100  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

freedom  of  the  slave  than  perhaps  any  of  the  great 
statesmen  of  his  time.  He  offered  no  compromise, 
and  asked  only  for  liberty  to  the  slaves. 

The  Fugitive  Slave  Law  allowed  masters  to  cap- 
ture their  slaves  in  any  State  of  the  Union.  Hence 
arose  the  underground  railroad,  which  was  a  secret 
system  for  transporting  runaway  slaves  into  Canada. 
Some  slaves  were  sent  in  boxes,  and  some  carried 
in  the  night  from  one  person  to  another  until  they 
reached  the  Canadian  line.  A  great  many  runaway 
slaves  made  good  their  escape  through  this  system. 

New  States  coming  into  the  Union  caused  great 
discussion  as  to  whether  they  should  come  in  as 
free  States  or  slave  States.  Civil  war  broke  out  in 
Kansas  between  the  inhabi#nts  of  that  Territory 
who  wanted,  and  those  who  did  not  want,  slaves. 
The  anti-slaver}'  people  were  led  b}'  John  Brown, 
afterward  the  leader  in  an  attempt  to  capture  the 
arsenal  at  Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia,  and  arm  the 
slaves.     He  was  hanged  as  an  insurrectionist. 

Opposition  in  the  North  to  the  Abolitionists  was 
manifested  by  many  of  the  commercial  people,  who 
saw  nothing  in  the  whole  question  but  the  dollars 
and  cents  which  they  hoped  to  make  out  of  the 
slave's  products  of  cotton,  tobacco,  sugar  and  rice. 
But  the  agitation  continued. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  endorsed  by  the  anti-slavery 
people,  was  proposed  as  the  Republican  candidate 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  101 

for  President  in  i860,  whereupon  South  Carolina 
declared  if  Lincoln  was  elected  she  would  secede 
from  the  Union.  Lincoln  was  elected,  and  accord- 
ingly South  Carolina  seceded,  and  was  soon  followed 
by  the  other  slave-holding  States. 


102  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  XX. 

EXAMPLES  OF   UNDERGROUND   RAIL- 
ROAD WORK. 

William  and  Ellen  Craft  were  slaves  in  the  State 
of  Georgia.  Their  hearts  3/earned  for  freedom. 
Their  minds  were  at  once  set  to  work  to  formulate 
some  plan  of  escape.  It  was  at  last  settled.  Ellen 
being  very  fair,  while  William  was  dark,  was  to  pass 
for  a  young  invalid  planter,  William  being  her 
slave  and  servant.  Not  being  able  to  write,  and 
without  beard,  she  put  her  hand  into  a  sling  and 
tied  her  face  up;  after  putting  on  male  attire  they 
were  ready  to  start  out.  William  attended  to  all 
the  business,  such  as  registering  at  the  hotels  and 
buying  tickets.  They  stopped  at  a  first  class  hotel 
in  Charleston,  and  also  in  Richmond,  finall}^  reach- 
ing Philadelphia  safely.  Ellen  gave  up  her  male 
attire,  untied  her  face,  released  her  arm  from  the 
sling,  and  her  speech  came  to  her.  They  put  them- 
selves under  the  care  of  the  Abolitionists,  were  sent 
to  Boston,  but  after  the  passage  of  the  Fugitive 
Slave  Bill,  attempts  were  made  to  capture  and  put 
them  back  into  slavery  again.  They  were  at  last 
sent  to  England,  where  they  remained  for  nearly 
twent}^  years;  then  they  returned  and  made  their 
home  in  Savannah,  Georgia,  where,  we  learn,  they 
are  still  living. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  103 

CHAPTER  XXT. 

THE  SLAVE  POPULATION  OF  i860. 

In  the  sixteen  slave  States  there  were  3,950,000 
slaves  in  i860,  and  251,000  free  colored  people. 
Nearly  3,000,000  of  the  slaves  were  in  the  rural 
districts  of  the  South  ;  and  the  slave  products  of 
cotton,  tobacco,  rice,  sugar-cane,  hemp,  and  molas- 
ses amounted  to  about  $136,505,435.  These  prod- 
ucts, made  by  slave  labor,  formed  the  basis  of 
Southern  prosperity.  The  civil  war  which  com- 
menced in  the  following  yeai ,  was  destined  to  shake 
the  very  foundation  of  Southern  civilization.  From 
a  people  unaccustomed  to  hard  work,  it  was  to  take 
away  those  who  worked  for  them,  and  those  same 
people  who  were  to  be  taken  away  were  to  receive 
the  priceless  boon  of  citizenship.  Let  us  now  study 
some  of  the  efforts  of  Negroes  in  helping  to  achieve 
this  citizenship,  after  which  we  shall  see  how  well 
they  deserved  to  be  citizens. 


104  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

ENLISTMENT    OF    NEGROES. 

The  Secession  of  South  Carolina  and  the  other 
Southern  States  was  the  signal  for  war.  True  to  its 
declaration  to  do  so,  this  State  seceded  when  Lin- 
coln was  inaugurated  in  1861.  Forf  Sumter  was 
fired  on  by  the  Confederates  and  captured.  The 
North  was  divided  on  the  question  of  slavery,  and 
the  Government  at  Washington  was  slow  in  mak- 
ing any  efforts  to  forcibly  resist  the  secession  of  the 
Southern  States.  A  few  troops  were  sent  into  the 
field  with  the  hope  of  frightening  the  South. 

The  Battle  of  Bull  Run  was  fought,  and  dis- 
gracefully lost  to  the  Union.  It  took  some  losses 
and  failures  to  make  the  North  believe  the  South 
would  fight.     Finally,  after  the  defeat  at  Bull  Run, 

Lincoln  issued  a  Proclamation  for  75,000  volun- 
teers. But  the  motto  was,  no  blacks  need  apply. 
There  was  great  prejudice  in  the  North  against  the 
Negro's  enlisting  to  fight  for  his  freedom,  and  the 
President  was  also  opposed  to  it. 

The  Confederates  used  Negroes  in  building  fortifi- 
cations and  in   performing  various  kinds  of  labor. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  105 

General  Hunter,  stationed  at  Port  Royal,  South 
Carolina,  did  not  agree  with  the  Federal  Congress 
nor  President  Lincoln.  When  he  succeeded  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  instructions  from  the  Secretary  of 
War  to  "accept  the  services  of  all  loyal  persons" 
were  handed  him,  and  he  seized  this  opportunity 
(there  being  nothing  said  about  Negroes)  to  enlist 
a  Negro  regiment  of  fugitive  slaves.  His  conduct 
was  inquired  into  by  Mr.  Wickliffe,  a  Congressman 
from  Kentucky,  and  a  resolution  of  censure  was 
offered. 

Major-General  Hunter  replied  to  the  inquiry  made 
in  Congress  as  to  his  enlisting  slaves,  that  the 
Negroes  seemed  to  be  the  only  loyal  people  in  that 
locality,  and  they  were  anxious  to  fight  for  their 
freedom,  and  gave  every  evidence  of  making  "in- 
valuable auxiliaries."  They  knew  the  country  and 
were  accustomed  to  the  climate. 

General  Phelps,  stationed  in  Louisiana  about  this 
time,  was  making  a  bold  fight  for  the  enlistment 
of  Negroes  in  and  around  New  Orleans.  He  was 
opposed  by  General  Benj.  F.  Butler,  who  protested 
so  strongly  against  it  that  finally  General  Phelps 
was  forced  to  resign  and  return  to  his  home  in  Ver- 
mont. The  sentiment  of  the  Northern  army  seemed 
to  have  a  conspicuous  leaning  towards  admitting 
the  right  of  the  South  to  hold  slaves.  General 
Butler  refused  the  runaway  slaves  quarters  in  his 


106  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

headquarters.  General  McClellan  said,  with  others, 
that  if  he  thought  he  was  fighting  to  free  the  "nig- 
gers "  he  would  sheath  his  sword.  He  soon  failed 
in  the  Virginia  campaign  and  was  forced  to  resign. 

Mr.  Stevens  proposed  a  bill  in  Congress  author- 
izing the  President  to  "  raise  and  equip  150,000  sol- 
diers of  African  descent."  Meanwhile,  Col.  Thos. 
W.  Higginson  and  Col.  Montgomery,  with  a  com- 
pany of  Negro  troops  were  ascending  the  St.  John 
River,  in  Florida,  where  he  captured  Jacksonville, 
which  had  been  abandoned  by  white  Union  Troops. 
Among  those  who  favored  Mr.  Stevens'  measure 
were  Horace  Greeley  and  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  who 
seemed  to  have  been  convinced  t)f  the  worth  of  the 
colored  troops  from  the  testimony  of  such  men  as 
Phelps,  Higginson,  Hunter  and  Montgomer}^,  who 
had  already  seen  what  Negro  troops  could  accom- 
plish. 

Public  Sentiment  was  being  aroused  on  the  sub- 
ject. The  newspapers  discussed  the  matter.  The 
New  York  Tribune  said  :  "  Drunkenness,  the  bane 
of  our  army,  does  not  exist  among  the  black  troops." 
"  Nor  have  I  yet  discovered  the  slightest  ground  of 
inferiority  to  white  troops."  Mr.  Lincoln  very  soon 
changed  his  mind,  Congress  gave  its  consent,  and 
the  order  went  forth  to  enlist  Negroes  in  defence 
of  the  Union. 

The  Right  to  Fight  for  what  they  thought  would 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  107 

ultimately  end  in  their  freedom  was  hailed  with 
shouts  of  joy  wherever  the  tidings  reached  the 
Negroes. 

At  Newbern,  N.  C,  they  made  a  great  demonstra- 
tion. The  enlisting  places  at  New  Orleans  and 
other  Southern  cities  then  in  the  hands  of  the  Fed- 
erals were  the  scenes  of  the  wildest  confusion  in 
the  mad  rush  of  the  colored  people  to  register  their 
names  on  the  army  records. 

A  Difficulty  arose  in  getting  sufficient  arms  for 
all  the  colored  troops  ;  and  a  further  difficulty  was 
to  be  met  in  selecting  white  officers  who  had  the 
courage  to  brave  public  sentiment  and  take  the 
command  of  Negrb  troops.  Negro  daring  and  ex- 
cellency on  the  battle-field  soon  broke  down  these 
flimsy  weaknesses  of  the  white  officers,  and  the  sum- 
mer of  1863  found  over  100,000  Negroes  in  the 
Union  ranks,  and  over  50,000  armed  and  equipped 
on  the  fields  of  battle. 

Their  Pay  was  seven  dollars  per  month,  with 
board  and  clothing.  The  whites  received  thirteen 
dollars  per  month  with  board  and  clothing.  Thus 
the  former  slave  went  forth  to  meet  his 'master  on 
the  battle-field,  sometimes  to  capture  or  be  captured ; 
sometimes  to  fall  side  by  side,  one  piercedlwith  the 
Southern,  the  other  with  the  Northern  bayonet. 


108  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

EMANCIPATION    PROCLAMATIONS. 

Two  Proclamations  were  issued  by  Mr.  Lincoln. 
The  first,  on  the  22d  of  September,  1862,  defined 
the  issue  of  the  war  to  be  "for  the  object  of  prac- 
tically restoring  the  constitutional  relation  between 
the  United  States,  and  each  of  the  States,  and  the 
people  thereof."  It  offered,  first,  to  pay  the  masters 
for  their  slaves  and  colonize  them  in  America  or 
Africa.  Second,  it  proposed  to  free  the  slaves  of 
those  persons  and  States  then  engaged  in  actual 
rebellion.  Third,  it  offered  to  pay  from  the  Federal 
treasury  loyal  masters  who  had  lost  their  slaves  in 
and  during  the  rebellion. 

The  Second  Proclamation  was  issued  January  i, 
1863,  and  is  the  one  we  celebrate.  This  measure 
was  urged  upon  Mr.  Lincoln  by  the  Abolitionists 
and  those  who  wished  the  Negro  free.  Though  the 
Abolitionists  saw  in  the  proclamation  the  consumma- 
tion of  their  prayers  and  hopes,  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his 
Cabinet  regarded  the  proclamation  as  a  war  measure, 
very  necessary  under  the  circumstances  to  shorten 
the  war.  The  South  would  have  surrendered  in 
half  the  time  had  not  a  large  number  of  slaves  re- 
mained on  the  plantations  raising  supplies  for  the 
Confederate  army,  and  supporting  and  protecting 
their  masters'  families. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  109 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

EMPLOYMENT  OF  NEGRO  SOLDIERS. 

Mr.  Williams  Says :  "All  history,  ancient  and 
modern,  Pagan  and  Christian,  justified  the  conduct 
of  the  Federal  Government  in  the  employment  of 
slaves  as  soldiers.  Greece  had  tried  the  experiment, 
and  at  the  battle  of  Marathon  there  were  two  regi- 
ments composed  of  slaves.  The  beleagured  city  of 
Rome  offered  freedom  to  her  slaves  who  would  vol- 
unteer as  soldiers,  and  at  the  battle  of  Cannae  a 
regiment  of  Roman  slaves  made  Hannibal's  cohorts 
reel  before  their  unequalled  courage.  Negro  offi- 
cers, as  well  as  soldiers,  had  shared  the  perils  and 
glories  of  the  campaigns  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte; 
and  even  the  Royal  Guard  at  the  Court  of  Imperial 
France  had  been  mounted  with  black  soldiers.  In 
two  wars  in  North  America,  Negro  soldiers  had  fol- 
lowed the  fortunes  of  military  life  and  won  the  ap- 
plause of  white  patriots  on  two  continents.  So, 
then,  all  history  furnished  a  precedent  for  the  guid- 
ance of  the  United  States  Government  in  the  civil 
war  of  America." 

Just  How  Well  the  Negro  Soldiers  Behaved  may 
be  gathered  from  a  description  of 


110  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

SOME  FAMOUS  BATTLES  IN  WHICH  NEGROES  FOUGHT. 

Port  Hudson,  May  27,  1863.  The  Negro  regi- 
ment under  Col,  Nelson  was  assiged  the  difficult 
task  of  taking  this  fort,  which  seemed  almost  im- 
pregnable. It  was  situated  on  a  high  bluff  over- 
looking the  river  in  front.  Around  the  sides  and 
rear,  close  under  the  bluff,  ran  a  bayou  twelve  feet 
deep  and  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  wide.  Looking 
out  from  openings  in  the  embankment  were  the 
grim  mouths  of  many  deadly  cannon.  They  were 
arranged  so  as  to  make  a  straight  raking  charge  on 
the  front  of  any  approaching  force,  while  a  score 
and  a  half  of  heavy  guns  were  to  cut  down  the  left 
and  right  wings  with  grape  and  canister. 

Having  Marched  AH  Night,  the  "Black  Regi- 
ment" stacked  arms  at  5  A.  m.  One  hour  was  given 
for  rest  and  breakfast.  Many,  completely  overcome 
by  the  enervating  heat  and  dust,  sank  down  "in 
their  tracks"  and  slept. 

The  Officers  received  their  instructions  at  5.30, 
and  at  6  o'clock  the  bugle  sounded.  "  Fall  in !"  was 
heard  ringing  out  among  the  soldiers ;  and  the  scene 
reminded  one  more  of  a  holiday  party  than  a  march 
to  death.  The  troops  seemed  anxious  to  fight.  The 
white  troops  looked  on  with  uneasiness  and  doubts 
concerning  the  Negro's  courage.  The  Confederates 
in  the  fort  ridiculed  the  idea  that  Negroes  were  to 
charge  them. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  Ill 

The  Negro  Regiment  moved  towards  the  fort. 
There  was  death-like  silence,  save  the  tramp  of  sol- 
diers and  the  tap  of  drum.  "  Forward  ;  double- 
quick,  march  !"  rang  out  along  the  line ;  not  a  piece 
was  fired.  Now  the  Confederate  guns  open  on  the 
left ;  one  shell  kills  twelve  men.  "  Right  aboutP'' 
was  the  command.  The  regiment  wheeled  to  the 
right  for  about  three  hundred  yards,  then  coolly 
and  steadily  faced  the  enemy  again  by  companies. 

Six  Deathly  charges  were  thus  made,  when  Col. 
Nelson  reported  to  Gen.  Dwight  his  inability  to 
take  the  fort  because  of  the  bayou  being  too  deep 
for  the  men  to  wade.  Gen.  D  wight  replied  :  "I 
shall  consider  that  he  has  accomplished  nothing 
unless  he  takes  those  guns."  The  soldiers  saw  it 
was  impossible,  as  well  as  Col.  Nelson,  yet  "  again 
the  order  to  charge  "  was  obeyed  with  a  shout. 

Captain  Andre  Callioux  commanded  Company  E 
in  the  next  charge.  He  marched  his  colored  breth- 
ren over  the  dead  bodies  of  their  comrades,  crying, 
"  Follow  me !"  and  while  flashing  his  sword  within 
fifty  yards  of  the  belching  Confederate  guns,  he 
was  smitten  down  in  front  of  his  company  by  a 
shell. 

Color-Sergeant  Anselmas  Planciancois  said  to  Col. 
Nelson  before  the  fight :  "  Colonel,  I  will  bring 
back  these  colors  to  you  in  honor,  or  report  to  God 
the  reason  why."     It  was  now  between  ii  and   i2; 


112  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  fight  began  at  7  A.  M. 
The  gallant  Callioux  was  lying  dead  on  the  field. 
His  men  now  charged  almost  in  the  mouth  of  the 
Confederate  guns.  Planciancois  bore  the  flag  in 
front.  A  shell  strikes  the  staff  and  blows  off  half 
of  the  brave  sergeant's  head  ;  he  falls,  wrapped  in 
the  folds  of  his  nation's  flag,  his  brains  scattered 
amid  them,  but  still  his  strong  grip  holds  the  staff 
even  in  death. 

Corporal  Heath  catches  it  up  to  bear  it  to  the 
front  again.  Pierced  b}^  a  musket-ball,  which  split 
his  head,  he,  too,  falls  upon  the  body  of  the  brave 
Planciancois.  Still  another  corporal  lifts  the  flag 
and  bears  it  through  the  fray.  And  thus  the  Negro 
troops,  on  almost  their  very  first  trial,  silenced  all 
clamors  as  to  their  bravery.  Port  Hudson  was  not 
taken  then,  but  the  reason  for  defeat  lay  not  in  a 
lack  of  unrivalled  daring  and  heroic  courage  on 
the  part  of  the  Negro  troops.  The  loss  was  37 
killed  and  wounded,  and  271  missing. 

The-  New  York  Times  says  of  this  battle  :  "  Gen. 
Dwight,  at  least,  must  have  had  the  idea  not  only 
that  they  (Negro  troops)  were  men,  but  something 
more  than  men  from  the  terrific  test  to  which  he 
put  their  valor.  The  deeds  of  heroism  performed 
by  these  men  were  such  as  the  proudest  white  men 
might  emulate.  Their  colors  are  literally  bespat- 
tered with  blood  and  brains. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  113 

"The  color-sergeant  of  the  ist  Louisiana,  on 
being  mortally  wounded,  hugged  the  colors  to  his 
breast,  when  a  struggle  ensued  between  the  two 
color  corporals  on  each  side  of  him  as  to  who  should 
have  the  honor  of  bearing  the  sacred  standard. 
One  black  lieutenant  actually  mounted  the  enemy's 

works  four  times Although  repulsed  in  an 

attempt  which,  situated  as  things  were,  was  all  but 
impossible,  these  regiments,  though  badly  cut  up, 
were  still  on  hand,  and  burning  with  a  passion  ten 
times  hotter  from  their  fierce  baptism  of  blood." 

General  Banks  wrote,  concerning  the  "  Black 
Regiment"  at  Port  Hudson:  "It  gives  me  pleasure 
to  report  that  they  answered  every  expectation. 
Their  conduct  was  heroic,"  The  success  of  the 
Negro  troops  at  Port  Hudson  rang  in  the  halls  of 
Congress,  in  the  lecture-room,  in  the  pulpit,  in  the 
newspapers;  poets  sang  of  it,  and  Northern  orators 
vied  with  each  other  in  eloquent  pictures  of  the 
scene  of  that  great  fight  which  settled  the  question 
as  to  the  Negro's  fitness  for  the  army. 

Milliken's  Bend,  6th  of  June,  1863.  The  Confed- 
erates came  up  from  Louisiana,  about  3,000  strong. 
They  rested  over  night,  while  the  Federals  were 
collecting  at  the  temporary  fort  in  the  bend  of  the 
Mississippi.  The  Union  men-of-war,  "  Choctaw  " 
and  "  Lexington  "  appeared,  coming  up  the  river 
before  daylight,  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  June. 


114  ^  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

The  Negro  troops  were  without  training,  being 
lately  recruited,  but  they  fought  like  veterans. 
The  Confederates  fell  back  under  their  heavy  fire 
in  front,  and  charged  the  Union  flanks.  Upon  this 
the  Union  troops  found  shelter  from  the  gun-boats, 
and  broadside  after  broadside  made  the  Confederates 
hasten  away. 

An  Eye  Witness'  Description  :  "As  before  stated, 
the  Confederates  drove  our  force  towards  the  gun- 
boats, taking  colored  men  prisoners.  This  so  en- 
raged them  that  they  rallied  and  charged  the  enemy 
more  heroically  and  desperately  than  has  been  re- 
corded during  the  war.  It  was  a  genuine  bayonet 
charge,  a  hand-to-hand  fight.  Upon  both  sides  men 
were  killed  with  the  butts  of  muskets.  White  and 
colored  men  were  lying  side  by  side  pierced  by 
bayonets,  and  in  some  instances  transfixed  to  the 
earth.  One  brave  man  took  his  former  master  pris- 
oner, and  brought  him  into  camp  with  great  gusto. 
A  Confederate  prisoner  made  a  particular  request 
that  his  own  Negroes  should  not  be  placed  over  him 
as  a  guard. 

"Union  loss  one  hundred  killed,  five  hundred 
wounded,  mostly  Negroes.  Confederate  loss  two 
hundred  killed,  five  hundred  wounded,  two  hundred 
taken  prisoner,  and  two  cannon." 

The  battle  of  Milliken's  Bend,  and  of  Fort  Pil- 
low which  is  referred  to  on  succeeding  pages  of  this 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  115 

book  made  many  friends  for  the  colored  soldiers. 
Their  soldierly  qualities  were  on  trial ;  the  experi- 
ment of  arming  Negroes  to  fight  for  the  Union  was 
being  tried.  This  the  colored  troops  seemed  to 
realize,  and  it  stimulated  them  to  do  their  very  best. 
They  fought  courageously,  and  fully  satisfied  all 
doubts  concerning  their  valor. 

The  Draft  Riot  broke  out  in  New  York  in  July, 
1863.  An  order  came  from  Washington  authoriz- 
ing soldiers  to  be  drafted  in  New  York  City.  The 
Democratic  newspapers  ridiculed  the  idea  of  the 
people's  being  drafted  into  service  "  to  fight  the  bat- 
tles of  'niggers  and  Abolitionists.' "  General  Wool 
finally  put  down  the  riot  after  killing  thirteen  of 
the  rioters,  wounding  eighteen  and  taking  twenty- 
four  prisoners.  "They  had  burned  the  Colored 
Orphan's  Asylum,  hung  colored  men  to  lamp-posts, 
and  destroyed  the  property  of  this  class  of  citizens 
with  impunity." 

The  54th  Massachusetts  was  the  first  colored 
regiment  organized  in  the  free  States,  Colonel  Shaw 
commander.  It  played  a  prominent  part  in  the 
attempt  to  take  Fori  Wagner  near  Charleston, 
S.  C.  It  marched  two  days  and  nights  through 
swamps  and  drenching  rains  to  be  in  time  for  the 
assault.  Soaking  wet,  muddy,  hungry  and  fatigued, 
they  reached  the  field  in  time  and  gladly  accepted 
the  "post  of  honor  and  danger,"  immediately  in 


116 


A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 


front.  After  a  five  minutes'  rest  they  double- 
quicked  a  half-mile  to  the  fort,  where,  after  a  most 
gallant  and  desperate  fight.  Sergeant   William  H. 


Carney  planted  the  regimental  flag  on  the  works. 
Nearly  all  the  officers  of  the  regiment  were  killed, 
and  it  was  led  off  by  a  boy — Lieut.  Higginson. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  117 

"Sergeant  Carney,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "re- 
ceived a  severe  wound  in  the  thigh,  but  fell  only 
upon  his  knees..  He  planted  the  flag  upon  the 
parapet,  lay  on  the  outer  slope,  that  he  might  get 
as  much  shelter  as  possible;  there  he  remained  for 
over  half  an  hour,  till  the  second  brigade  came  up. 
He  kept  his  colors  flying  till  the  second  conflict  was 
ended.  When  our  forces  retired,  he  followed,  creep- 
ing on  one  knee,  still  holding  the  flag."  When  he 
entered  the  hospital  (bleeding  from  one  wound  in 
the  head  and  another  in  the  thigh)  "his  wounded 
comrades  cheered  him,"  and  he  said,  ^''Boys^  the  old 
fla^  7iever  touched  the  ground?^ 

The  sentiment  against  the  Negro  soldiers  at  the 
North  had  somewhat  abated  in  the  face  of  the  irre- 
sistible bravery  as  exhibited  by  Negro  troops  at 
Wagner  and  Port  Hudson.  The  North  saw  that 
wonderful  results  could  be  achieved  by  Negro 
soldiers. 

The  Confederates  exchanged  before  this  some 
Union  ofiicers,  but  refused  to  exchange  Negroes. 


118  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

FCRT  PILLOW. 

This  fort  is  located  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, about  fifty  miles  above  Memphis,  in  Ten- 
nessee. It  crowned  the  top  of  a  steep  bluff,  covered 
with  trees  and  shrubbery.  Major  L.  F.  Booth  was 
in  command  with  a  garrison  of  557  men,  262  of 
whom  were  colored.  There  were  six  artillery  pieces. 
Gen.  N.  B.  Forrest,  commanding  a  large  force  of 
Confederate  cavalry,  appeared  at  the  fort  at  sunrise 
on  the  13th  of  April,  1864,  and  demanded  its  sur- 
render. Major  Booth  drew  up  his  force  in  the  in- 
trenchments  around  the  parapet.  Thus  a  contin- 
ual firing  was  kept  up  till  the  afternoon,  during 
which  Major  Booth  was  killed.  Major  Bradford 
took  command.  The  firing  ceased  for  the  guns  to 
cool  off  and  to  be  cleaned.  Meanwhile,  under  a 
flag  of  truce,  Gen.  Forest  demanded  the  surrender 
of  the  fort.  The  Confederates,  taking  advantage 
of  the  truce,  were  hiding  in  the  trenches  from  which 
Major  Bradford  had  withdrawn  his  men  into  the 
fort.  A  few  moments  later  they  rushed  in.  The 
Union  troops  offered  stubborn  resistance,  but,  with 
superior  numbers  crowding  in  from  front,  rear  and 
sides  they  were  overcome  and  surrendered. 

The  War  in  the  West  was  now  about  at  an  end. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  119 

Sherman  set  out  upon  his  famous  march  through 
Georgia  ;  Grant,  having  opened  up  the  Mississippi, 
marched  on  Richmond,  which  had  now  become  the 
strategic  point  of  the  war.  McClellan,  Hooker, 
Meade,  and  Burnside  had  failed  in  their  assaults  on 
this  the  Confederate  capital.  All  hopes  were  now 
centred  on  Grant.  To  him  was  assigned  the  task, 
and  this  brings  us  to  the 

CAMPAIGN    IN    VIRGINIA,    1 864. 

Twenty  Thousand  Strong  marched  the  Negro 
troops  into  the  campaign  of  Virginia.  On  their 
way  they  passed  through  Washington.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, with  General  Burnside  and  friends,  reviewed 
the  long  line  from  the  balcony  of  Willard's  Hotel. 
As  the  long,  heavy  columns  filed  past,  the  Presi- 
dent acknowledged  their  almost  continuous  "  Hur- 
rah for  Lincoln  !"  He  was  deeply  touched  by  the 
spectacle ;  there  were  tears  in  many  eyes  that  saw 
the  brave  thousands  of  sable  sons,  but  a  little  while 
ago  slaves,  now  gallantly  marching  to  defend  the 
Union.  It  was  a  scene  never  forgotten  by  those 
who  saw  it. 

With  Equal  Pay,  a  recognition  as  soldiers  b}^ 
President  Davis,  and  a  brilliant  record,  marched 
the  Negro  troops  into  the  Virginia  campaign.  Gen. 
Butler,  who  was  now  convinced  by  the  scenes  at 
Port  Hudson,  Forts   Pillow    and   Wagner  of  the 


120  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Negro's  capacity  for  fighting,  was  stationed  at  Ber- 
muda Hundreds  with  a  large  corps  of  Negro  troops. 

General  Grant  Threw  his  Forces  across  the  Rapi- 
dan,  and  met  the  Confederates  in  The  Wilderness. 
He  left  Gen.  Ferrero,  with  his  colored  troops,  to  pro- 
tect his  wagon  train  in  the  rear.  General  Ewell^  with 
the  Confederate  cavalry,  whipped  around  in  search 
of  these  supplies.  Gen.  Ferrero,  with  his  Negro 
troops,  met  Ewell.  The  Confederates  made  a  bold 
charge,  and  captured  twenty-seven  wagons.  The 
hungr}^  soldiers  prepared  to  feast  on  their  plunder. 

General  Ferrero  opened  fire.  The  Confederates 
charged  again,  giving  the  colored  troops  their  very 
best,  but  the  Negro  regiments  did  not  budge.  Gen. 
Ferrero  then  ordered  his  troops  to  charge,  and,  in 
this,  the  first  fight  between  Negro  troops  and  Vir- 
ginians, the  Confederates  were  driven  from  the  field. 
"It  was  the  first  time  at  the  Hast,"  says  General 
Badeau,  in  his  Military  History  of  Grant,  "  when 
the  colored  troops  had  been  engaged  in  any  impor- 
tant battle,  and  the  displa}^  of  soldierly  qualities 
won  a  frank  acknowledgment  from  both  troops  and 
commanders,  not  all  of  whom  had  before  been  will- 
ing to  look  upon  Negroes  as  comrades.  But  after 
that  time,  white  soldiers  in  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac were  not  displeased  to  receive  the  support  of 
the  black  ones  ;  they  had  found  the  support  worth 
having." 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  121 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

AROUND  PETERSBURG. 

Here  it  was  that  Negro  soldiers  covered  them- 
selves with  merited  glory  in  the  presence  of  white 
troops  on  both  sides;  surprising  in  their  daring  to 
officers  trained  at  West  Point,  and  that,  too,  on  the 
very  soil  where  slavery  first  made  its  appearance  in 
this  country. 

The  City  of  Petersburg  lies  on  the  Appomattox, 
river  near  the  James,  and  not  far  from  Richmond, 
with  which  it  has  railroad  connection,  and  it  formed 
the  base  of  supplies  up  the  James  for  the  troops  in 
defence  of  Richmond.  It  therefore  became  an  im- 
portant point  to  reduce.  It  was  strongly  fortified 
on  all  sides  for  miles  out. 

The  Task  of  Taking  the  "Cockade  City,"  as  it 
was  called,  fell  to  Gen.  Smith,  assisted  by  Gen. 
Kautz,  coming  up  on  the  east,  Brooks  following 
Kautz;  Martindale,  who  was  to  move  up  the  Appo- 
mattox, and  Hinks,  who  moved  between  the  two. 
The  Black  Brigade  was  under  Gen.  Hinks,  who 
discovered  a  Confederate  battery  on  a  knoll  six 
miles  out  from  the  city.  Under  range  of  the  Con- 
federate guns  he  formed  his  line  for  a  charge.  The 
battery  must  be  taken  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 


122  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

"Forward!"  rang  out  along  the  line,  and  as  the 
troops  cleared  the  woods,  the  enemy  opened  a  raking 
fire  with  canister,  siege-gun  and  musket.  But 
away  swept  the  black  brigade,  their  ranks  shattered 
with  deadly  shells.  As  they  closer  came,  a  fusilade 
of  musketry  came  down  upon  them;  a  hundred 
men  fell;  but  leaping  and  dashing,  with  a  wild 
cheer,  they  burst  over  the  breastworks,  drove  the 
enemy  from  their  guns,  and  instantly  turned  them 
on  their  scattered  ranks  beating  a  hasty  retreat 
towards  Petersburg— and  the  colored  troops  had 
won  the  day. 

Brooks  and  Wlartindale  were  now  in  front  of  the 
Confederates'  main  line  near  the  river.  Hinks, 
with  his  Negro  corps  of  3,000,  was  ordered  towards 
"Dunn's  House,"  three  miles  from  the  city  on  the 
road  leading  east. 

To  Reach  His  Position  it  was  necessary  to  cross 
an  open  space  in  full  reach  of  the  sharpshooters 
and  artillery  of  the  enemy.  They  crossed  this 
space  by  moving  forward  a  few  paces  and  then  lying 
down  ;  at  every  quiet  moment  they  would  steal  for- 
ward; they  thus  reached  their  position  under  the 
most  trying  test.  But  on  reaching  their  post,  so 
thick  and  deadly  was  the  firing  from  all  sides  that 
they  dared  not  rise;  so  thus  they  lay  from  one  till 
five  o'clock  P.  M.,  while  torrents  of  lead  whizzed  over 
their  heads. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  123 

"Dunn's  House"  was  defended  by  three  forts,  one 
in  front,  one  north,  and  another  south.  Deep 
ravines  lay  in  front,  while  an  almost  impassable 
abatis  of  trees  impeded  the  wa}/  to  the  forts.  Seven 
hundred  yards  in  front  lay  Hinks'  black  troops  in 
deep  suspense,  anxious  for  orders  to  go  forward. 
Meanwhile,  shells  plowed  the  earth  around  them 
for  four  long  hours,  which  seemed  to  them  like 
days. 

At  five  o'clock  the  command  "Forward!"  was 
greeted  with  a  rush  and  a  shout.  The  brave  Negro 
troops  went  forward  at  a  double-quick  ;  the  skir- 
mishers were  the  first  to  reach  the  embankments, 
and  were  greeted  with  a  shower  of  bullets  which 
tumbled  man}-  headlong  and  lifeless  into  the  pits. 
But  on  came  the  main  body  ;  they  swept  into  the 
midst  of  the  enemy,  grabbed  their  guns  and  fired 
them  upon  them  as  they  "  ran  for  their  lives." 
Three  hundred  Confederates  were  taken  prisoners, 
and  several  pieces  of  artillery  were  captured. 

Smith  Had  Petersburg  now  at  his  mercy.  Brooks 
and  Martindale  had  swept  the  enemy  in  front  of 
them  simultaneously  with  Hinks,  and  the  way  was 
open  to  march  immediately  into  the  city.  Gen. 
Smith,  however,  decided  to  wait  for  the  arrival  of 
Gen.  Birney  with  the  Second  Corps — and  this  delay 
caused  the  loss  of  many  thousand  lives. 

Next  Morning,  as  the  sun   peeped  up  over  the 


124  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

yellow  waters  of  the  Appomattox,  the  condition  of 
things  had  changed.  The  flower  of  Lee's  army 
had  come  up  in  the  night-time,  and  Grant  was  com- 
pelled afterwards  to  lay  siege  to  the  city,  under 
which  it  finally  surrendered. 

Secretary  Stanton  was  wild  with  delight  over  the 
valor  of  the  colored  troops  at  Petersburg.  Said  he  : 
"  The  hardest  fighting  was  done  by  the  black  troops. 
The  forts  they  stormed  were  the  worst  of  all.  After 
the  affair  was  over.  Gen.  Smith  went  to  thank  them, 
and  tell  them  he  was  proud  of  their  courage  and 
dash.  '  He  says  they  cannot  be  excelled  as  soldiers, 
and  that  hereafter  he  will  send  them  in  a  difficult 
place  as  readily  as  the  white  troops." 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  125 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  CRATER. 

Petersburg  was  now  surrounded  b}-  the  Union 
army.  There  was  continual  skirmishing.  Burnside 
commanded  the  Ninth  Corps,  composed  partly  of 
Negro  troops.  By  fierce  fighting  he  made  his  way 
up  to  within  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  Con- 
federate batteries.  Projecting  out  in  front  of  them 
was  a  strong  fort.  After  consultation  a  trench  was 
dugout  some  hundred  and  fifty  yards  long,  branch- 
ing off  in  two  directions  at  the  end  under  the  fort. 
It  was  packed  with  powder  and  explosives,  the 
design  being  to  blow  the  place  up.  As  arranged, 
on  the  30th  of  July,  1864,  the  match  was  applied. 
Dampness  prevented  an  explosion.  Lieut.  Jacob 
Douty  and  Sergeant  Henry  Rus  volunteered  to  go 
into  the  trenches  and  ascertain  and  remove  the 
difficulty,  and  very  soon  after  they  came  out,  at  4:45 
A.  M.,  the  match  was  again  applied,  and — read  the 
result,  by  Gen.  Badeau  :  "The  mine  exploded  with 
a  shock  like  that  of  an  earthquake,  tearing  up  the 
Confederates'  works  above  them,  and  vomiting  men, 
guns  and  caissons  two  hundred  feet  into  the  air. 
The  tremendous  mass  appeared  for  a  moment  to 
hang   suspended   in   the   heavens  like  a  huge  in- 


126  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

dented  cone,  the  exploding  powder  still  flashing 
out  here  and  there,  while  limbs  and  bodies  of  muti- 
lated men,  and  fragments  of  cannon  and  wood- 
work, could  be  seen.  Then  all  fell  heavily  to  the 
ground  again,  with  a  second  report  like  thunder. 
When  the  smoke  and  dust  had  cleared  away,  only 
an  enormous  crater,  thirty  feet  deep,  sixty  feet 
wide,  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  stretched 
out  in  front  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  where  the  Confed- 
erate fort  had  been." 

At  the  moment  of  the  explosion  the  Union  bat- 
teries belched  forth  from  one  hundred  and  ten 
deadly  cannon  and  fifty  mortars,  and  verily  the 
earth  seemed  to  tremble  from  the  shock. 

The  Plan  was  to  follow  the  discharge  of  the  bat- 
teries with  a  charge.  Gen.  Burnside  had  arranged 
his  Negro  troops  for  the  post  of  honor.  A  dispute 
arose  between  him  and  Gen.  Meade  as  to  the  wis- 
dom of  this  plan.  The  whole  matter  was  referred 
to  Gen.  Grant,  who  ordered  iofs  to  he  draivn  by  the 
different  Generals  as  to  "  who  should  go  into  the 
crater."  The  lot  fell  on  Gen.  Ledlie.  Gen.  Ledlie 
accordingly  endeavored  to  draw  up  his  troops  into 
the  mouth  of  the  crater.  The  Tenth  New  Hamp- 
shire faltered  and  broke  ranks.  Generals  Potter 
and  Wilcox  marched  their  troops  into  the  dreadful 
hole,  where  the}^  halted  long  enough  for  the  Con- 
federates to  make  an  attack. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  \Tl 

Gen.  Potter  Struggled  out  with  his  division  and 
charged  the  enemy,  but  had  to  retire.  Gen.  Burn- 
side  now  ordered  his  colored  troops  around  the 
edges  of  the  crater ;  the  Confederates  were  now 
gathering  around  from  all  sides,  and  under  a  heavy 
fire  drove  the  colored  troops  into  the  deadly  hole, 
from  which  they  continued  to  rally  until  nightfall. 

A  Ridiculous  Mistake  was  made  by  the  Federals 
in  not  marching  into  the  city  immediately  after  the 
explosion,  when  the  Confederates  were  nonplussed 
and  breaking  away  in  mad  confusion.  Gen.  Grant 
says  of  this  disgraceful  affair  :  "  The  four  divisions 
of  his  (Burnside's)  corps  were  commanded  by 
Generals  Potter,  Wilcox,  Ledlie  and  Ferrero.  The 
last  was  a  colored  division  ;  and  Burnside  selected 
it  to  make  the  assault.  Meade  interfered  with  this. 
Burnside  then  took  Ledlie's  division." 

Before  the  committee  that  investigated  the  affair 
Gen.  Grant  said  :  "  General  Burnside  wanted  to  put 
his  colored  division  in  front ;  I  believe  if  he  had 
done  so  it  would  have  been  a  success." 

Four  Thousand  Four  Hundred  Union  soldiers 
perished  through  the  mistake  then  of  not  allowing 
the  colored  troops  to  take  the  Confederate  works 
which  Gen.  Grant  says  they  would  have  taken. 

Some  of  the  Confederate  Commanders  also  gave 
strong  testimony  to  the  bravery  of  the  Negro  sol- 
diers as  they  fought  in  the  crater. 


128  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

"  Encouraged,  Threatened,  Emulating  the  white 
troops,  the  black  men  fought  with  desperation. 
Some  Confederate  soldiers  recognized  their  slaves  at 
the  crater.  A  Captain  of  the  Forty-first  Virginia 
gave  the  military  salute  to  '  Bob  '  and  '  Ben,'  whom 
he  had  left  hoeing  corn  in  Dinwiddie." 

Petersburg  being  Captured,  the  siege  of  Rich- 
mond was  begun  with  a  vigor  and  determination 
such  as  only  a  Grant  could  command.  Meanwhile, 
a  lively  discussion  was  going  on  at  the  Confederate 
capital  as  to  the  proposition  of  Mr.  Benjamin  to 
arm  the  slaves  in  defence  of  the  city.  Gen.  Lee 
and  President  Jefferson  Davis  favored  this  plan,  and 
recommended  that  such  colored  people  as  would 
join  the  Confederate  ranks  should  be  set  free,  but 
the  Confederate  Congress  refused  to  allow  the  slaves 
to  be  armed  or  to  be  used  in  any  way  except  as 
laborers. 

Gen.  Lee  was  now  employing  his  best  troops  and 
military  manoeuvres  to  keep  Grant  out  of  the  Con- 
federate capital.  His  retreats  and  skirmishes,  ex- 
ecuted with  genius  and  tact,  delayed  the  event; 
but  opposed  by  superior  numbers,  his  army  half- 
starved,  and  the  Confederacy  subjugated  in  the 
Southwest,  he  saw  the  uselessness  of  a  further 
hopeless  sacrifice  of  his  men,  and  surrendered  ac- 
cordingly at  Appomattox,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1865, 
"  his  army,  numbering  only  27,516." 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  129 

When  the  Union  Army  marched  into  Richmond 
they  found  the  city  burning,  which  was  due  to  the 
careless  firing  by  the  retreating  Confederates  of  the 
abandoned  army  supplies.  There  was  great  con- 
fusion and  destruction  of  property.  The  colored 
troops  were  organized  into  fire  brigades,  and  soon 
extinguished  the  fires. 


130  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

CHAPTER  XXVIl. 

INCIDENTS  OF  THE  WAR. 

Rodman's  Point,  N.  C,  was  the  scene  of  a  brave 
deed  by  a  Negro.  A  flatboat  full  of  troops,  with 
a  few  colored  troops  among  them,  tried  to  land  at 
this  place.  The  Confederate  soldiers  were  lying 
in  wait  for  the  boat,  and  the  soldiers  in  it  could  only 
save  themselves  by  lying  flat  on  the  bottom  out  of 
reach  of  their  deadly  guns.  But  if  the  boat  re- 
mained where  it  was  very  long  it  would  be  sur- 
rounded and  captured.  One  of  the  colored  soldiers 
saw  the  danger,  and  knowing  the  boat  must  be 
pushed  off  or  all  would  be  killed,  suddenly  rose  up 
and  said:  "Somebody  got  to  die  to  get  us  all  out 
dis  'ere,  and  it  mout  jes  as  well  be  me  as  anybody!'" 
Saying  this  he  deliberately  stepped  on  shore  and 
pushed  the  boat  off.  The  men  in  the  bottom  were 
saved,  but  the  Negro  hero's  body  "  fell  forward  into 
the  end  of  the  boat  pierced  by  five  bullets."  He 
had  done  what  no  other  of  them  dared  do  to  save 
the  lives  of  his  comrades. 

A  Negro  Established  a  Clothes-line  Telegraph  in 
the  Falmouth  camp  on  the  Rappahannock  in  1863. 
The  Confederate  and  Union  armies  occupied  oppo- 
site sides  of  the  river,  and   used  every   means  of 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  131 

gaining  knowledge  of  each  other's  movements. 
The  colored  attendant  in  the  Union  camp  proved 
ver}'  valtiable  here  as  elsewhere  during  the  war. 
Pi.  colored  man  named  Dabney  drifted  into  the 
Union  lines  one  da}^  from  a  neighboring  farm,  and 
soon  proved  very  useful  because  of  his  full  know- 
ledge of  the  topography  of  the  country.  He  was 
given  employment  as  "  cook  and  body  servant." 
He  became  much  interested  in  the  system  of  army 
signals  employed,  and  begged  to  have  them  ex- 
plained to  him.  This  was  done,  and  he  learned 
them  readily.  His  wife  soon  came  over,  and  after 
staying  awhile  was  allowed  to  return  as  servant  to 
a  "  secesh  woman  "  whom  General  Hooker  was 
about  to  send  to  her  friends  on  the  other  side.  She 
\^nt  over  and  took  a  place  as  laundress  at  "the 
headquarters  of  a  prominent  reber-'' General."  Dab- 
ney, her  husband,  was  on  the  Union  side,  and  soon 
began  to  know  all  about  what  was  to  take  place  in 
the  Confederate  camp.  An  hour  or  two  before  any 
movement  took  place  he  could  tell  all  about  it,  and 
it  always  turned  out  as  he  said.  The  wonder  and 
puzzle  to  the  Union  men  was  how  he  got  his  infor- 
mation, as  he  didn't  seem  to  neglect  his  work  to  go 
off  for  any  information,  and  he  did  not  converse  with 
the  scouts.  After  numerous  questions  and  many 
requests  he  finally  took  one  of  the  officers  to  a 
prominent  point  near  by,  and  pointed  out  a  cabin  on 


132  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

the  banks  of  the  river,  in  the  suburbs  of  the  enemj^'s 
camp.  He  asked  the  officer  if  he  saw  a  clothes- 
line with  clothes  hanging  on  it.  The  officer  replied 
"Yes,"  whereupon  Dabney  said :  "Well,  that  clothes- 
line tells  me  in  half  an  hour  just  what  goes  on  in 
their  camp.  You  see,  my  wife  over  there,  she  washes 
for  the  officers,  and  cooks  and  waits  around,  and  as 
soon  as  she  hears  of  any  movement  or  anything 
going  on  she  comes  down  and  moves  the  clothes  on 
that  line  so  I  can  understand  it  in  a  minute.  That 
there  gray  shirt  is  Longstreet,  and  when  she  takes 
it  off  it  means  he's  gone  down  about  Richmond. 
That  white  shirt  means  Hill,  and  when  she  moves 
it  up  to  the  west  end  of  the  line  Hill's  Corps  has 
moved  up  stream.  That  red  one  is  Stonewall.  He's 
down  on  the  right  now,  and  if  he  moves  she  wnl 
move  that  red  shirt."  One  morning  Dabney  came 
in  and  reported  a  movement  over  there,  but  said  it 
"  Don't  mean  anything,  the}^  are  only  making 
believe."  An  officer  went  out  to  look  at  the  clothes- 
line telegraph  through  his  field-glass  There  had 
been  quite  a  shifting  over  there  of  the  army  flannels. 
"But  how  do  you  know  but  there's  something  in  it  ?" 
"  Do  you  see  those  two  blankets  pinned  together  at 
the  bottom  ?"  said  Dabney.  "  Yes,  but  what  of  it  ?" 
said  the  officer.  "  Why,  that's  her  way  of  making 
a  fish-trap  ;  and  when  she  pins  the  clothes  together 
that  way  it  means  that  Lee  is  only  trying  to  draw 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  133 

US  into  his  fish-trap."  As  long  as  the  two  armies 
lay  watching  each  other  on  opposite  banks  of  the 
stream,  Dabney,  with  his  clothes-line  telegraph, 
continued  to  be  one  of  the  promptest  and  most 
reliable  of  General  Hooker's  scouts. — {Taken  fro7n 
Civil  War — Song  and  Story.) 

William  Staines,  Hero  of  the  Fight  at  Belmont, 
was  servant  to  General  McClernand.  He  was  close 
by  his  employer  during  many  an  engagement.  On 
one  occasion,  in  the  course  of  the  fight,  a  captain 
of  one  of  the  companies  was  struck  by  a  spent  ball, 
which  disabled  him  from  walking.  Staines,  the 
colored  servant,  rode  up  to  him  and  shouted,  "  Cap- 
tain, if  you  can  fight  any  longer  for  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  take  my  horse  and  lead  your  men."  He 
Wen  dismounted  and  helped  the  wounded  officer 
into  his  saddle,  and,  as  he  was  walking  away,  a 
rebel  dragoon  rushed  forward  at  the  officer  to  take 
him  prisoner.  The  brave  Staines  did  not  flinch, 
but  drew  his  revolver  and  put  a  ball  through  the 
rebel's'^'"  head,  scattering  his  brains  over  the  horse's 
neck.      {Revised  froin  Civil  War — Song  and  Story.) 


*Iu  this  and  other  quotations  in  this  book  the  word  "rebel"  is 
used.  The  usual  definition  of  this  word  is,  one  ivho  takes  up  artns 
against  the  lawful  authority  of  the  government  under  which  he  lives — 
one  who  opposes  lawful  authority.  The  Confederate  soldier  did  not 
recognize  the  word  "rebel"  as  applicable  to  himself.  From  his 
standpoint  he  was  not  o'p-pos'in^  lawful  authority,  but  resisting  ww/aze/- 
ful  invasion.     He  did  not  think  that  under  our  Constitution  there 


134  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Hon.  Robert  Small  was  the  pilot  and  captain  of 
the  steamer  "  Planter,"  and  also  a  member  of  Con- 
gress from  South  Carolina  after  the  Civil  War. 
Moving  from  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  to  Charles- 
ton in  '51,  he  was  employed  as  "rigger,"  thereby 
getting  a  knowledge  of  ships  and  the  life  of  sailors. 
His  greatest  work  was  with  the  "Planter,"  a  Confed- 

existed  any  authority  on  the  part  of  the  Federal  Government  to  send 
armed  troops  to  invade  the  territory  of  any  one  of  the  States.  As 
he  looked  at  the  great  conflict,  he  was  fighting  for  great  and  vital 
principles  of  government,  viz.  :  the  right  and  duty  of  a  sovereign  State 
to  defend  her  sovereignty,  and  to  have  her  citizens  protected  in  their 
property  and  other  rights  in  accordance  with  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  as  Interpreted  by  the  Supreme  Court.  From  the  begin- 
ning of  the  United  States  Government,  the  centralizing  tendency 
and  the  strict  construction  and  State's  rights  views  contended  with 
each  other  until  the  arrayed  forces  met  in  the  late  war  in  deadh'  c^ 
flict  on  fields  of  battle.  These  forces  were  contending  on  both 
for  what  they  believed  to  be  right,  or  allowed  by  the  written  Constitu- 
tion. On  the  part  of  the  Federal  Government,  the  efficient  war-cry 
was,  save  the  Union;  on  the  part  of  the  Confederate  Government, 
drive  the  invading  armies  from  the  Southern  sovereign  States.  Slavery 
was  simply  the  exciting  cause  over  which  the  great  principles  con- 
tended for  were  fought  out.  As  President  Lincoln's  emancipation 
proclamation  shows,  the  freedom  of  the  Negroes  was  proclaimed  not 
as  a  constitutional  right,  but  as  a  military  necessity.  Uppermost  in 
Mr.  Lincoln's  mind  was  the  saving  of  the  Union,  to  which  result  the 
freeing  of  the  slave  was  an  incidental  consequence.  The  original 
cause  of  the  civil  war  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  a  difference  of 
opinion  existed  from  the  beginning  of  the  Republic  as  to  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  powers  conveyed  by  the  Constitution  to  the  Federal 
Government.  In  this  great  war,  the  great  question  at  issue  was  the 
relation  between  the  States  and  the  General  Government  under  their 
written  Constitutions.  Amid  this  conflict,  happily,  the  slaves  obtained 
their  freedom. 


c^- 
iiWs 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNilED  STATES. 


135 


erate  transport  steamer  in  1861  afterwards  used  as 
a  dispatch  boat.  The  officers  retired  from  the  boat 
on  the  night  of  May  i  3,  1862,  and  left  eight  colored 
men  on  watch,  Small  being  one  of  the  number.   He 


s::r;^"..'v 


Robert  Small. 


was  only  called  a  wheelman  then,  but  in  reality 
was  a  pilot.  He,  with  the  others  on  board,  con- 
ceived the  risk}^  plan  of  giving  the  boat  over  to  the 
Federals.  Everything  being  ready,  and  after  taking 
on  Small's  wife  and  three  children,  they  started  out 
at  2  o'clock.     In  passing  out  of  the  harbor  and  by 


136  ^  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

each  fort  the  steamer  gave  her  signals  as  though 
the  Confederate  captain  was  on  board,  and  every- 
thing was  all  right.  The  dangerous  plan,  which, 
if  it  had  been  found  out  would  have  ended  in  instant 
death,  was  a  success.  The  boat  was  given  over  to 
the  Federal  Captain  Nichols,  who  found  her  quite 
an  additional  help  to  the  Union. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  137 

CHAPTER  XXVIIT. 

THE  END  OF  THE  WAR. 

For  four  years  the  American  people  had  been 
fighting  among  themselves.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
struggle  the  freedom  of  the  slaves  was  not  looked 
for  by  many.  But  the  Abolitionists,  who  grew 
stronger  as  the  war  progressed,  pressed  their  views 
upon  the  leaders  of  the  country.  They  took  every 
advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  make  the  freedom 
of  the  slaves  the  main  issue  of  the  war ;  and  their 
efforts,  coupled  with  the  desire  of  the  Union  leaders 
to  weaken  the  Confederacy  by  employing  Negro 
troops,  to  whom  they  offered  freedom,  caused  the 
final  proclamation  of  Mr.  Lincoln  in  1863,  giving 
freedom  to  the  slaves. 

In  this  war  there  were  employed  on  the  Union 
side  more  than  186,000  colored  soldiers,  whose 
bravery  stands  vouched  for  by  every  Union  and 
many  Confederate  generals,  who  saw  them  as  dar- 
ing in  the  face  of  death  as  their  fellow  white  sol- 
diers. 

On  the  Confederate  side  the  Negroes  were  not 
armed,  but  many  of  them  were  employed  as  labor- 
ers in  the  armies.  But  all  over  the  South,  while 
their  mastef-s  were  away  at  war,  the  Negro  men  and 


138  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

women  were  enlisted  in  the  ranks  of  the  private 
duties  of  the  Southern  soldiers'  homes,  which,  ever 
be  it  remembered  to  the  honor  and  credit  of  the 
Negro  race  of  America,  they  protected  faithfully 
and  industriously.  The  opportunity  for  outrage 
and  plunder  was  open  on  every  side,  but  not  a  hurt- 
ful hand  was  laid  on  the  thousands  of  white  widows, 
orphans,  and  aged,  who  lay  defenceless  in  the 
Negroes'  power.  This  action  on  the  part  of  the 
slaves  proves  that  the  race  is  not  fond  of  bloodshed, 
and  is  kind  even  to  its  foes. 

Some  Plantations,  on  the  contrary,  were  found  in 
better  trim  on  the  return  of  the  masters  from  the 
war  than  when  the}^  left  them. 

Negro  Body-servants  accompanied  their  masters 
into  the  war,  shared  the  roughs  of  camp-life,  aiiTl 
often  were  the  last  to  minister  to  their  wants  in  the 
hospital,  and  the  first  to  bear  the  tidings  home  to 
the  anxious  family  after  death,  taking  with  them 
sometimes  the  treasured  watch  or  ring. 

Mr.  James  H.  Jones/''  of  Raleigh,  N.  C,  served  as 
messenger  to  Mr.  Jefferson  Davis  during  his  Presi- 
dency of  the  Confederacy  at  Richmond.  He  was 
with  him  when  captured  by  the  Union  troops  in 

*He  emphatically  denies  the  assertion  that  has  gained  currency  to 
the  effect  that  Mr.  Jefferson  Davis,  while  escaping  from  the  Union 
forces,  was  attired  in  female  clothes.  Mr.  J.  states  that  the  Confed- 
erate President  used  a  large  cloak,  which  he  usually  wore  indoors,  to 
disguise  himself  w'ith. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  139 

southwest  Georgia,  and  was  also  confined  with  him 
in  the  "Rip-Raps,"  at  Hampton  Roads,  Virginia. 
After  the  war  Mr.  Jones  kept  up  a  correspondence 
with  Mr.  Davis  until  his  death,  and  received  a  new 
photograph  whenever  Mr.  Davis  had  a  new  one 
taken.  Mr.  Jones  is  now  an  honored  citizen  of 
Raleigh.  He  was  lately  presented  with  a  gold- 
headed  cane  by  Mrs.  Davis  in  token  of  her  regard 
for  him  in  view  of  his  devotedness  to  her  husband. 


140  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

RECONSTRUCTION,  i865-'68. 

After  the  Surrender  of  Lee  at  Appomattox,  the 

question  arose  as  to  what  should  be  done  with  the 
Southern  States  that  for  four  years  had  contended 
against  the  flag  of  the  Union,  and  had  set  up  a  flag 
of  their  own.  The  Southern  flag  was  now  con- 
quered ;  and  the  plan  of  the  North  was  to  restore 
these  conquered  States  to  the  Union.  Amnesty 
was  offered  all  those  who  desired  it.  A  Ptovisional 
Government  was  first  established  in  North  Carolina, 
with  W.  W.  Holden  at  its  head  ;  other  States  were 
organized  in  the  same  way.  Conventions  were 
called  by  the  Provisional  Governors  of  the  several 
States,  and  new  constitutions  adopted  in  conformity 
with  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

The  Right  to  Vote  During  Slavery  was  denied 
the  colored  people.  Exclusion  from  public  places 
was  established  by  law.  Thirty-nine  lashes  was  the 
punishment  for  keeping  firearms.  When  white 
persons  were  implicated,  colored  people  could  not 
testify  in  the  courts. 

The  Thirteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution, 
making  the  race  citizens,  was  not  favorably  received 
by  the  legislatures  of  the  reconstruced  States.     So 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  141 

The  Civil  Rights  Bill  was  passed  by  Congress,  giv- 
ing the  colored  people  the  right  to  enter  public 
places,  and  ride  on  first-class  railroad  cars.  This 
bill  has  been  declared  unconstitutional  by  r  ir  Su- 
preme Court.  The  colored  people  were  considered 
not  well  qualified  to  vote  and  there  was  opposition 
to  their  exercising  this  right,  so  the  fifteenth  amend- 
ment was  passed  guaranteeing  to  them  the  right  to 
vote  and  to  have  their  votes  counted.  Thus,  the 
eleven  Southern  States  were  reconstructed  on  a 
basis  of  universal  suffrage,  and  the  colored  race 
began  to  develop  statesmen,  orators,  lawyers,  judges, 
teachers  of  various  kinds,  ministers,  and  discreet, 
far-seeing  business  men. 

THE  freedmen's  bureau. 

The  design  of  this  institution  was  to  educate  the 
newly  emancipated  colored  people  in  all  the  ways 
of  freedom.  Schools  were  opened,  to  which  there 
was  a  general  rush,  so  great  was  the  thirst  for 
knowledge.  Many  gray  heads  could  be  seen  among 
the  children,  and  the  "  Blue  Back  Speller "  was 
often  to  be  seen  even  in  the  Sabbath-schools.  Such 
an  ardent  desire  for  knowledge  was,  possibly,  never 
witnessed  anywhere  before.  Many  very  old  people 
learned  to  read  the  Bible,  and  the  joy  they  seemed 
to  get  from  this  long  coveted  privilege  was  often 
poured  out  in  thankful  and  fervent  prayer. 


142  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Gen.  0.  0.  Howard  was  a  leading  spirit  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau.  His  de- 
sign was  to  make  the  colored  people  better  citizens 
in  every  respect.  With  him  was  associated  a  saintly 
corps  of  devoted  missionary-inclined  white  men  and 
women,  who  planted  school-houses  and  churches 
for  the  Negroes  in  many  a  hamlet  in  the  former 
slave  States. 

Many  of  These  People  came  from  the  best  fami- 
lies of  the  North,  were  well  educated,  refined  and 
cultured.  Their  pupils  were  not  slow  in  catching 
the  beautiful  graces  of  these  instructors,  and  their 
extra  qualities  are  demonstrated  in  the  wonderful 
educational  progress  the  race  has  made  within  only 
twenty-six  years  of  actual  freedom. 

The  Plan  was  to  locate  schools  at  central  points 
where  teachers  and  preachers  might  be  trained  to 
go  out  into  the  rural  districts  in  which  the  majority 
of  the  race  lived.  The  money  was  contributed  by 
benevolent  people  of  the  North,  and  a  wiser  invest- 
ment, both  for  God  and  humanity,  was  never  made. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  143 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

PROGRESS  SINCE  FREEDOM. 

Through  More  Than  Two  Centuries  we  have  now 
traced  our  ancestors'  history.  We  have  seen  how 
they  performed  the  hard  tasks  assigned  them  by 
their  masters  :  following  the  hoe  and  the  plow  with 
a  laugh  and  a  song ;  making  magnificent  estates, 
building  mansions,  furnishing  them  with  the  splen- 
dor of  the  times  ;  so  eager  in  patriotism  as  to  be  the 
first  to  shed  their  blood  on  the  altar  of  their  coun- 
try's liberty.  All  this  they  did  with  no  other 
reward  than  a  slave's  cabin  and  a  life  of  bondage 
for  themselves  and  children.  Scarcel}^  have  they 
ever  sought  revenge  in  riot  or  bloodshed.  Stolen 
from  a  home  of  savage  freedom  they  found  them- 
selves slaves  in  America,  but  the  greatness  of  the 
Negro's  nature  crops  out  plainly  in  the  wonderful  way 
in  which  he  adapted  himself  to  his  new  conditions. 
The  fact  that  he  went  to  work  willingly,  worked  so 
long  and  faithfully,  and  rebelled  so  little,  marks  him 
as  far  superior  to  the  Indian,  who  never  accepts  the 
conditions  of  labor,  either  for  himself  or  another  ; 
and  universally  enjoys  the  rank  of  a  savage  rather 
than  that  of  a  civilized  being.  A  plant  placed  in 
the  window  of  a  dark  chamber  gradually  bends  its 


144  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

foliage  toward  the  sunlight;  so  the  Negro,  surrounded 
by  the  darkness  of  slavery,  bent  his  life  toward  the 
light  of  his  master's  God.  He  found  Him.  In 
Him  he  trusted,  to  Him  he  prayed,  from  Him  he 
hoped  for  deliverance  ;  no  people  were  ever  more 
devout  according  to  their  knowledge  of  the  word ; 
no  people  ever  suffered  persecution  more  bravely  ; 
no  people  ever  got  more  out  of  the  few  talents 
assigned  them  ;  and  for  this  humble  devotion,  this 
implicit  trust  and  faithfulness,  God  has  now  rewarded 
them.  The  race  comes  out  of  slavery  with  more  than 
it  had  before  it  ivent  in.  Bnt  there  was  no  need  of 
any  slavery  at  all.  Virginia.^  New  England,  and 
the  other  colonies  might  have  held  the  Negro  long 
enough  to  serve  out  his  passage  from  Africa,  and 
then  given  him  his  freedom,  as  they  did  their  white 
slaves  imported  from  England,  or  they  might  have 
forbidden  him  to  be  sold  to  the  colonists  as  a  slave. 
The  mistake  was  made  then  ;  the  mistake  became 
a  law  which  the  people  were  educated  to  believe 
was  just.  Many  did  not  believe  in  slavery,  and 
most  slaveholders  sought  to  make  the  condition  of 
their  slaves  comfortable.  The  affection  arising 
between  the  slave  and  his  master  often  governed 
the  treatment.  The  Negro  being  largely  endowed 
by  nature  with  affection,  affability,  and  a  forgiving 
spirit,  generall}^  won  for  himself  good  treatment. 
Then,  too,  the  master  had  some  soul,  and   where 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  145 

that  ingredient  of  his  make-up  was  deficient,  a  self- 
ish interest  in  the  slave  as  his  property  somewhat 
modified  the  spirit  that  might  have  more  often 
visited  itself  upon  the  unfortunate  slave  in  lashes 
and  stripes. 

Many  Affections  and  Friendships  formed  between 
master  and  slave  exist  to  the  present  day.  Some 
slaves  are  still  at  the  old  homestead,  conditions 
entirely  reversed,  voting  differently  at  the  polls, 
hut  friends  at  home  ;  and  in  death  the  family  of  one 
follows  that  of  the  other  to  the  grave. 

When  the  War  Ended,  the  whole  South  was  in  an 
unsettled  condition — property  destroyed,  thousands 
of  her  sons  dead  on  the  battle-field,  no  credit,  con- 
quered. But  if  the  condition  of  the  whites  was 
bad,  that  of  the  blacks  was  woi'se.  They  were  with- 
out homes,  money,  or  learning.  They  were  now  to 
feed,  clothe  and  protect  themselves  ;  and,  as  free 
citizens,  the}^  were  required  to  support  the  govern- 
ment, and  obey  its  laws,  which  they  could  not  read. 

It  was  Natural  that  they  should  make  mistakes. 
But  the\^  made  less  mistakes  than  the  bummers  who 
came  South  for  plunder  during  reconstruction  times, 
and  with  the  false  promise  of  "  forty  acres  and  a 
mule"  led  the  unlettered  race  into  a  season  of 
idleness  and  vain  hopes.  But  this  condition  did  not 
last.  The  Negro  inherited  the  ability  to  work  from 
the  institution  of  slaver3^     He  soon  set  about  to 


146  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Utilize  this  ability.  I  ask  what  race  could  have  done 
more  ?  And  this  the  Negro  has  done,  though  vir- 
tually ostracised  from  the  avenues  of  trade  and  spec- 
ulation. His  admission  to  a  trades-union  is  the 
exception  rather  than  the  rule  in  America.  A  col- 
ored boy  taking  a  place  as  porter  in  a  store  at  the 
same  time  with  a  white  boy,  may  find  the  white  boy 
soon  promoted  to  a  clerkship,  then  to  a  partnership 
in  the  firm,  if  he  is  smart ;  but  the  colored  boy 
remains,  year  after  year,  where  he  first  commenced, 
no  matter  how  worthy,  no  matter  how  competent. 
His  lot  is  that  of  a  menial ;  custom  assigns  him 
there,  and  in  looking  for  clerks  and  partners  he  is 
not  thought  of  by  the  white  business  man  ;  and  thus, 
by  the  rigid  laws  of  custom,  he  has  continually  lost 
golden  opportunities  to  forge  his  fortune  ;  yet  he 
has  prospered  in  spite  of  this,  and  it  bespeaks  for 
him  a  superior  manhood. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  147 

CHAPTER  XXXr. 

RELIGIOUS  PROGRESS. 

Before  the  war,  the  colored  people  of  the  South 
worshipped  mainly  in  the  white  churches,  or  in  sep- 
arate churches  usually  ministered  to  by  white  pas- 
tors. But  the  colored  people,  naturally  inclined  to 
religion,  soon  developed  preachers  of  their  own. 
They  composed  their  own  music,  which  expressed, 
in  their  own  way,  thanks  and  petitions  to  heaven. 
Their  music  is  original,  entertaining  and  pathetic — 
and  the  only  original  music  of  the  American  Con- 
tinent, when  we  remember  that  other  than  Negro 
techniques  and  melodies  are  all  borrowed  from  the 
masters  of  Europe. 

Debarred  of  the  Privileges  of  schools,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  the  religion  of  the  slaves  should  be 
otherwise  than  somewhat  twisted  from  the  cultured 
tone  of  the  Bible  to  suit  the  whims  of  an  unlettered 
race.  It  can  be  truly  said  though,  that,  considering 
the  circumstances,  they  did  not  bury  the  talents 
given  them.  But  the  religious  progress  since  free- 
dom is  so  marvellous  as  to  completely  overshadow 
much  of  the  darkaess  of  the  past.  Let  us  notice 
briefly  several  of  the  great  religious  denominations 
of  the  race.     The  colored  people  produce  fewer  infi- 


148  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

dels  than  auy  other  similar  number  of  people  in 
America.  They  are  proverbially  religious  and  God- 
fearing. 

The  A.  W.  E.  Church,  founded  by  Rev.  Richard 
Allen,  of  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  because  of  the  spirit 
of  caste  and  race  feeling  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  during  and  after  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, has  exerted  abroad  and  unmeasured  influence 
upon  the  Negro  race.  From  a  meeting  held  in 
1816,  at  Rev.  Allen's  private  house,  has  sprung  sur- 
prising results.  The  denomination  has  more  than 
4,000  churches  valued  at  over  $5,000,000 ;  more  than 
660  parsonages  valued  at  near  $500,000.  It  has  a 
publication  department,  which  sends  out  the  Chris- 
tian Recorder  and  the  A.  M.  E.  Review  to  thousands 
of  people.  The  salaries  of  the  editors  of  these 
papers  amount  to  over  $10,800.  In  1887  tbe  money 
raised  for  all  purposes  was  about  $1,000,000.  Wil- 
berforce  University  is  a  noted  institution  controlled 
by  the  A.  M.  K.  Church.  The  influence  of  this 
church  for  good  among  the  people  cannot  be  meas- 
ured. The  bishops  are  an  extraordinary  set  of 
learned  men,  many  of  whom  are  self-made,  but  yet 
are  authors,  orators,  linguists,  theologians  and 
scholars  that  will  compare  favorably  with  the  best 
theological  brain  of  America. 

The  Baptist  denomination  was  founded  by  Roger 
Williams.     The  church  ofi&cers  derive  their  power 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  149 

from  the  members.  In  the  beginning,  Roger  Wil- 
liams' influence  had  a  tendency  to  keep  down  race 
prejudice.  But  from  the  rapid  increase  of  slaves, 
the  feeling  grew  until  self-interest  demanded  a  sep- 
aration. The  Baptists  form  a  body  of  useful  and 
intelligent  people.  The  South  has  a  host  of  Bap- 
tists, who  own  much  valuable  property.  There  are 
more  Baptists  in  Virginia  than  in  any  other  South- 
ern State.  Some  of  the  churches  have  very  large 
congregations.  There  are  a  large  number  of  Bap- 
tist churches  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  some  of 
which  have  interesting  histories.  There  are  among 
the  noble,  true  and  faithful  workers  of  the  Baptists 
many  men  who  have  consecrated  their  lives  to  their 
church  in  the  spreading  of  the  Gospel. 

The  Baptist  denomination  exercises  a  religious  and 
educational  influence  over  more  colored  people  than 
any  other  denomination  in  America.  We  gather 
from  the  minutes  of  their  National  Convention  of 
1887,  that  they  had  a  total  membership  in  the 
United  States  of  1,155,486;  and  that  they  had  6,605 
ordained  ministers,  3,304  Sabbath-schools  with  10,- 
718  teachers  and  officers  and  194,492  pupils.  They 
owned  $3,056,571  worth  of  church  property,  since 
1887  the  increase  has  been  very  large.  They  main- 
tain a  large  number  of  colleges  and  seminaries,  in 
which  are  annually  taught  more  than  3,609  pupils. 

The  A.  M.  E.  Zion  Church  is  another  of  the  pow- 


150  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

erful  religious  denominations  among  the  colored 
people,  and  it  is  everywhere  urging  the  race  to  a 
higher  standard  of  living  in  all  respects.  Their 
membership  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  500,000. 
They  support  and  control,  entirely,  Livingston  Col- 
lege, of  Salisbury,  N.  C,  a  progressive  and  well- 
manned  institution,  and  the  Star  of  Zion  is  the 
church  organ.  The  Livingston  College  Faculty 
is  all  colored,  and  it  has  property  valued  at  over 
$100,000. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  North  supports 
many  churches  in  the  South  ministered  to  by  colored 
pastors.  There  are  several  schools  supported  by 
them,  prominent  among  which  is  Bennet  College  of 
Greensboro,  N.  C,  which  is  controlled  entirely  by 
a  colored  Faculty.  Other  schools  of  this  denomi- 
nation, manned  by  white  Faculties,  are,  with  Ben- 
net  College,  doing  a  most  necessary  and  beneficial 
work  among  the  colored  people,  among  which  are 
Claflin  University,  Orangeburg,  S.  C,  and  Clark 
University,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

The  American  Missionary  Association  is  doing  a 
great  work  among  the  colored  people  of  the  South 
along  the  lines  of  education  and  church  work. 
The  Congregational  churches  of  the  South  are,  to 
a  great  extent,  assisted  by  this  Society.  Many  large 
schools  are  under  its  care,  such  as  Atlanta  Univer- 
sity (originally)  ;  Fisk  University,  Nashville,  Ten- 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  151 

nessee  ;  Straight  University,  New  Orleans;  Howard 
University,  Washington,  D.  C;  Hampton  Insti- 
tute (originally) .  The  estimated  daily  expenditures 
of  this  Association  in  the  South  for  Negro  schools 
and  churches  is  $1,200.  It  is  accomplishing  a 
great  work. 

The  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  reaches  as  many 
colored  people  through  its  church  work  and  schools 
as  au}/  of  the  many  Northern  benevolent  institu- 
tions. Its  schools  are  distributed  throughout  the 
South,  and  it  would  be  hard  to  estimate  the  good 
they  are  accomplishing.  Some  of  the  schools  aided 
in  whole  or  in  part  b}^  this  Society,  are  : 

Wayland  Seminary,  Washington,  D.  C 

Shaw  University,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 

Hartshorn  Memorial  College,  Richmond,  Va. 

Spellman  Seminary,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Benedict  College,  Columbia,  S.  C. 

State  University,   Louisville,  Ky. 

Atlanta  Baptist  Seminary. 

Roger  Williams  University,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Jackson  College,  Jackson,  Miss. 

Arkansas  Baptist  College,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 

Leland  University,  New  Orleans,  La. 

Howe  Institute,  New  Iberia,  La. 

Selma  University,  Selma,  Ala. 

Missouri  College,  Macon,  Mo. 

Bishop  College,  Marshall,  Texas. 


152  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Hearne  Academy,  Hearne,  Texas. 

Guadalupe  College,  Seguiu,  Texas. 

Indian  University,  Muskogee,  Indian  Territory. 

Atoka  Academy,  Atoka,  Indian  Territory. 

"The  Christian  Church"  maintains  an  excellent 
educational  and  church  work  among  the  colored 
people,  and  the  work  of  this  denomination  is  grow- 
ing rapidly.  The  Franklin  Institute  is  one  of  the 
schools  of  this  denomination  and  is  located  at 
Franklin,  N.  C.  It  is  supported  mainl}^  by  North- 
ern contributions. 

The  Episcopalians  are  also  supporting  several 
schools  and  doing  an  effective  church  work  among 
the  colored  people.  One  of  the  oldest  and  best  in- 
stitutions of  this  denomination  is  the  St.  Augus- 
tineh  School.,  Raleigh,  N.  C,  at  which  many  useful 
men  and  women  have  received  their  training. 

Some  of  the  Northern  societies  spend  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  dollars  every  year  on  Negro  edu- 
cation and  religion  in  the  South. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  has  not  spread  as  rap- 
idly among  the  Negroes  as  some  others,  and  yet 
within  the  past  twenty-five  years  that  Church  has 
taken  a  strong  hold  among  them,  chiefly  in  Vir- 
ginia, the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  Florida  and  Tennes- 
see. Within  the  territory  embraced  in  these  States 
there  are  2  Synods,  10  Presbyteries,  about  200  min- 
isters,   250  churches,    18,000   communicants,    and 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  153 

15,000  Sabbath-school  scholars.  Except  twelve  or 
fifteen  ministers,  and  a  few  score  members,  these 
synods  are  composed  of  Negroes,  who  control  the 
affairs  of  the  churches  and  schools.  They  are  in 
ecclesiastical  fellowship  with  the  Northern  Presby- 
terian Church.  Their  organ  is  the  Africa- American 
Presbyterian^  published  at  Charlotte,  N.  C,  by  the 
Africo-American  Presbyterian  Publishing  Com- 
pany.    This  journal  has  a  wide  circulation. 

Educational  Work  of  the  Presbyterians.— Under 
the  auspices  of  the  Presbyterians  are  Lincoln  Uni- 
versity, Oxford,  Pennsylvania,  which  is  their  lead- 
ing institution  for  educating  colored  men,  and  from 
which  more  Negro  graduates  have  gone  out,  into 
all  the  professions  and  as  ministers  and  teachers, 
into  the  different  denominations,  than  from  any 
similar  school  in  the  country  ;  Biddle  University, 
Charlotte,  N.  C,  ranking  among  the  first  in  the 
South,  which  has  an  able  Faculty  of  white  and 
colored  men  ;  and  the  far-famed  Scotia  Seminary, 
at  Concord,  N.  C.  Scotia  Seminary  has  done,  and 
is  doing,  much  for  the  education  of  colored  girls, 
and  ranks  second  to  none  of  the  seminaries  of  its 
kind. 


154  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 

EDUCATIONAL  PROGRESS. 

Can  the  Negro  learn  anything?  was  the  first 
question  he  had  to  answer  after  schools  were  estab- 
lished for  him.  He  has  answered  this  question 
satisfactorily  to  the  most  incredulous  in  every  in- 
stance where  brought  to  a  test.  The  fact  that  all 
the  slave  States  had  laws  against  his  being  taught 
before  the  war,  and  that  they  opposed  it  afterwards, 
ought  to  be  a  sufficient  answer.  There  are  several 
individuals  of  the  race  who  have  written  valuable 
text-books.* 

WHAT  THE  SOUTH  IS  DOING  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION. 

It  would  be  a  serious  error  to  omit,  in  speaking 
of  the  educational  progress  of  the  Negro  since  free- 
dom, what  has  been  done  to  help  him  by  the  South- 
ern States.  Though  at  first  bitterly  opposed  to 
Negro  education,  there  has  been  a  wonderful  change 
of  sentiment  on  this  subject.  They  made  laws 
against  Negro  education  before  the  war,  now  they 
make  laws  for  it.     In  the  more  liberal  portions  of 


*See  Johnson's  Illuslrated  History  of  Uie  Negro  Race. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  155 

man}'  Southern  States,  good  schools  are  provided 
for  the  colored  children.  vSome  States  have  asylums 
for  the  deaf,  dumb,  blind  and  insane.  The  South 
spends  annually  about  $6,000,000  on  Negro  public 
schools,  and  this  sum  will  soon  be  increased.  Some 
of  the  States  have  Normal  Schools,  Universities  and 
Training  Schools  for  the  colored  youth.  There  are 
some  who  oppose  Negro  education  on  the  ground 
that  the  whites  pa}^  two  thirds  of  the  taxes.  A  false 
position  this — the  laborer  and  consumer  pa}^  the 
taxes  on  capital.  The  Negro  is  the  laborer  of  the 
South,  and  a  large  consumer.  He  produces  more 
than  a  bilhnu  dollars  woytli  of  farm  prodticls  annu- 
ally^ wol  estimating  other  products;  and  it  is  his 
toil,  his  muscle  that  makes  a  large  part  of  the 
School  fund. 

The  High  Schools,  Seminaries,  Colleges  and  Pro- 
fessional Schools  for  the  colored  people  number 
several  hundred.  Many  of  them  are  controlled 
entirely  by  colored  Faculties.  IMau}^  schools  have 
mixed  Faculties  of  colored  and  white  teachers. 
Dr.  H.  M.  Tupper  inaugurated  this  movement  b}' 
putting  young  colored  men  at  work  in  Shaw  Uni- 
versity, which  has  been  followed  by  many  of  the 
other  schools  supported  b}'  donations  from  white 
friends  in  the  Nortii.  The  plan  works  admirabl}- 
well,  and,  besides  teaching  the  race  to  confide  in 
the  ability  of  its  own  educated  men  and  women,  it 


156  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

affords  lucrative  employment  to  many  who  are  by 
nature  and  choice  fitted  for  the  work  of  teaching. 

A  Self-made  Man  is  a  worthy  description  when 
applied  to  a  Saxon.  But  a  knowledge  of  the  facts 
will  teach  us  that  nine-tenths  of  all  the  leading 
Negroes  were  and  are  self-made.  The  royal  road 
to  knowledge  is  beyond  question  closed  to  the  young 
colored  man. 

There  is  no  Large  Estate  to  draw  on  for  school 
bills  ;  no  rich  uncle  or  kinsman  to  foot  the  bill,  and 
wait  till  success  in  after  years  for  a  settlement. 
His  own  brawu}^  muscle  is  usually  the  young  col- 
ored student's  means  of  support.  Many  of  them 
work  in  school  between  hours.  In  fact,  most  of  the 
schools  for  colored  people  in  the  South  assign  cer- 
tain hours  each  day  in  which  the  students  are  to 
labor.  Some  institutions  do  not  spend  one  cent  for 
domestic  labor  during  the  whole  of  the  school  terms. 
Yet  they,  in  some  instances,  raise  quite  enough  faf m 
and  garden  products  for  their  tables,  and  sometimes 
make  brick  enough  to  put  up  extra  buildings.  The 
fact  that  in  none  of  the  colored  schools  the  expense 
for  tuition,  board,  lodging,  laundry-work  and  inci- 
dentals is  over  $12  per  month  (and  in  some  cases 
it  is  as  low  as  $6),  is  a  strong  argument  in  favor  oF 
the  help  the  Negro  youth  furnishes  towards  his  own 
education.     People  with  such  a  love  for  knowledge 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  157 

that  they  are  willing  to  thus  toil  for  it  may  be  relied 
upon  to  use  that  knowledge  properl3^ 

When  the  War  Closed  there  were  about  four  mil- 
lion colored  people  in  the  United  States.  Very  few 
of  them  could  read.  Now  they  number  about  eight 
millions,  and  nearly  half  of  them  can  read.  There 
are  about  1,200,000  colored  children  in  the  schools, 
annually  taught  by  27,000  Negro  teachers.  The 
colored  people  of  the  South  have  made  more  prog- 
ress in  education  since  the  war  than  in  anything 
else  ;  and  they  are  still  thirsty  for  knowledge.  The 
schools  everywhere  are  crowded  The  love  of  know- 
ledge seems  to  be  instinctive,  and  thousands  of 
faithful  mothers  spend  many  weary  nights  at  the 
ironing-board  and  wash-tub  in  order  to  get  money 
to  help  their  children  obtain  an  education.  With 
the  start  the}-  now  have,  twenty-five  years  more  of 
earnest  work  will  show  marvellous  changes  in  the 
educational  condition  of  the  race.  No  people  ever 
learned  more  in  so  short  a  time. 

^lUSICAL    PROGRESS. 

The  Fisk  Jubilee  Singers  have  sung  the  fame  of 
the  Negro  in  all  America,  much  of  Europe  and 
Australia.     The  slave  music  is  said  to  be  the  only 


158  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

original  music  of  America.'^'  The  Indian  has  none, 
and  white  Americans  have  borrowed  from  the  mas- 
ters of  Europe.  Negro  melodies  are  now  a  part  of 
the  classical  music  of  this  country.  The  peculiarity 
of  Negro  song  is  its  patlios  and  trueness  to  nature. 
It  stirs  the  soul  and  revives  a  sunken  hope.  Travel- 
lers describe  the  music  of  the  native  African  as 
sung  in  a  major  key,  which   key  characterizes  the 


*DR.   DVORAK'S  INNOVATION. 

The  following  official  announcement  will  awaken  the  keenest 
interest  in  every  reader  of  7  he  Colored  American  : 

"The  National  Conservatory  of  IMusic  of  America, 
"  126  AND  128  East  17TH  St.,  New  York,  May  16,  1893. 

"  The  National  Conservatory  of  Music  of  America  proposes  to  enlarge  its  sphere 
of  usefulness  by  adding  to  its  departments  a  branch  for  the  instruction  in  music  of 
colored  pupils  of  talent,  largely  with  the  view  of  forming  colored  professors  of 
merit.  The  aptitude  of  the  colored  race  for  music,  vocal  and  instrumental,  has 
long  been  recognized,  but  no  definite  steps  have  hitherto  been  taken  to  develop  it, 
and  it  is  believed  that  the  decision  of  the  Conservatory  to  move  in  this  new  direc- 
tion will  meet  with  general  approval  and  be  productive  of  prompt  and  encourag- 
ing results.  Several  of  the  trustees  have  shown  special  interest  in  the  matter. 
Prominent  among  these  is  Mrs.  Collis  P.  Huntington.  Tuition  will  be  furnished  to 
students  of  exceptional  talent  free  of  charge.  Two  young  but  efficient  colored 
pupils  have  already  been  engaged  as  teachers,  and  others  will  be  secured  as  cir- 
cumstances may  require. 

"  Application  for  admission  to  the  Conservatory  classes  is  invited,  and  the  assign- 
ment of  pupils  will  be  made  to  such  instructors  as  may  be  deemed  judicious. 

"  Dr.  Antonin  Dvorak,  Director  of  the  Conservatory,  expresses  great  pleasure  at 
the  decision  of  the  trustees,  and  will  assist  its  fruition  by  sympathetic  and  active 
co-operation. 

"  :\Iay  I  ask  you  to  place  these  facts  before  your  readers,  and  in  favoring  a  worthy 
cause  once  again  oblige  yours,  very  truly, 

'■JEANNETTE  M.  Thurber,    President." 

This  is  the  result  of  some  observations  Ijy  Dr.  Antonin  Dvorak, 
the  foremost  figure  among  living  composers  and  the  acknowledged 
leader  of  the  dramatic  school.  He  believes  thoroughly  that  Negro 
melodies  will  form  the  basis  for  a  truly  original  American  music.  He 
is  quoted  as  saying:  "lam  now  satisfied  that  the  future  music  of 
this  country  must  be  founded  upon  what  are  called  the  Negro  melo- 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  159 

songs  of  a  conquering  people.  Slaver}'-  has  not 
extracted  this  characteristic  totally  from  the  Ameri- 
can Negro's  songs.  While  he  sings  not  the  con- 
quering major  of  battle,  he  thrills  you  with  the 
pleasing  minor  of  hope.  Dr.  Talmage  says : 
"Everybody  knows  the  natural  gift  of  the  African 
for  singing.  No  singing  on  this  continent  like  that 
of  the  colored  churches  in  the  South.  Everybody 
going  to  Richmond  or  Charleston  wants  to  hear  the 
Africans  sing." 

dies.  This  must  be  the  real  foundation  of  any  serions  and  original 
school  of  composition  to  be  developed  in  the  United  States.  When 
I  first  came  here  last  year  I  was  impressed  with  the  idea,  and  it  has 
developed  into  a  settled  conviction.  These  beautiful  and  varied 
themes  are  the  product  of  the  soil.  They  are  American.  These  are 
the  folk-songs  of  America,  and  your  composers  must  turn  to  them. 
In  the  Negro  melodies  of  America  I  discover  all  that  is  needed  for  a 
great  and  noble  school  of  music.  They  are  pathetic,  tender,  passion- 
ate, melancholy,  solemn,  religious,  bold,  merry,  gay,  or  what  you 
will.  It  is  music  that  suits  itself  to  any  mood  or  any  purpose.  There 
is  nothing  in  the  whole  range  of  composition  that  can  not  be  sup- 
plied with  themes  from  this  source." 

"  Many  of  the  Negro  melodies— most  of  them,  I  believe — are  the 
creations  of  Negroes  born  and  reared  in  America.  That  is  the  pecu- 
liar aspect  of  the  problem.  The  Negro  does  not  produce  music  of 
that  kind  elsewhere.  I  have  heard  the  black  singers  in  Hayti  for 
hours  at  the  bamboula  dances,  and,  as  a  rule,  their  songs  are  not 
unlike  the  monotonous  and  crude  chantings  of  the  Sioux  tribes.  It 
is  so  also  in  Africa.  But  the  Negro  in  America  utters  a  new  note, 
full  of  sweetness,  as  characteristic  as  any  music  of  any  country." 

This  is  a  most  delicate  tribute  from  an  authority  so  eminent  and 
discriminating  as  Dr.  Dvorak.  He  is  profoundly  impressed  with  the 
possibilities  of  Negro  melody,  and  delights  to  dwell  upon  it  by  the 
column.  He  has  studied  the  field  very  closely,  and  expresses  a  con- 
viction that  must  be  highly  interesting  to  the  .American  Negro. 


160  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

CHAPTER  XXXIII, 

FINANCIAL  PROGRESS. 

The  Freedmen's  Saving  Bank,  though  it  failed, 
furnishes  a  strong  argument  in  favor  of  the  thrift 
and  industry  of  the  recently  emancipated  slaves. 
In  this  bank  the  colored  people  deposited  during 
the  years  between  1866  and  187 1,  about  $57,000,- 
000.  The  original  design  of  this  institution  was 
doubtless  good,  but  it  fell  into  bad  hands,  and  the 
consequence  was  a  most  disgraceful  failure. 

The  Negro's  Confidence  in  banks  was,  on  his  first 
trial  of  them,  badly  shaken.  He  has  not  recovered 
yet.  Many  colored  people  who  would  deposit  their 
money  now,  are  reluctant  to  do  so  when  they  re- 
member the  "  Freedmen's  Bank  failure."  The 
branch  offices  of  the  bank  in  the  different  States 
were  placed  in  the  hands  of  colored  men  who  worked 
for  salaries  under  instructions  from  the  home  office 
at  Washington,  D.  C.  To  this  day  sentiment  at- 
taches blame  on  these  colored  bank  officers,  who 
themselves  were  as  much  deluded  as  the  depositors. 
It  was  a  sad  and  disgraceful  piece  of  legalized  rob- 
bery. But  the  Negro  is  putting  his  money  in  other 
enterprises^  and  though  unsuccessful  in  his  first, 
his  last  efforts  at  economy  are  bearing  rich  fruit. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  161 

The  property  owned  by  the  colored  people  now  is 
computed  at  the  following  figures  : 

Twenty-five  Years'  Accumulations:  Alabama, 
$9,200,125;  Arkansas,  $8,010,315;  Florida,  $7,- 
900,400;  Georgia,  $10,415,330;  Kentucky,  $5,900,- 
010;  Louisiana,  $18,100,528  ;  Mississippi,  $13, 400,- 
213;  Missouri,  $6,600,343;  North  Carolina,  $11, - 
010,652;  South  Carolina,  $12,500,000;  Texas, 
$18,010,545;  Tennessee,  $10,400,211;  Virginia, 
$4,900,000. 

The  Colored  Churches  in  the  United  States  own 
$16,310,441  ;  the  total  amount  of  property  owned 
by  the  colored  people  in  all  the  States  is  rated  at 
over  $263,000,000. 

Much  Properly  is  owned  by  the  colored  people  of 
the  North  and  West.  Some  of  their  estates  run 
high  into  the  hundred  thousands.  Many  of  them, 
though  shut  out  almost  entirely  from  the  trades 
and  business  avenues,  have  accumulated  handsome 
homes,  and  live  in  elegance  and  refinement. 

All  the  States  have  numbers  of  colored  individ- 
uals whose  wealth  is  rated  between  five  and  ten 
thousand  dollars. 

In  closing  these  chapters  on  t\\^  progress  of  the 
race  since  the  war,  we  desire  to  say  to  you,  our 
young  readers,  that  much  has  been  done  to  raise 
the  race  in  the  estimation  of  the  world,  but  much 
more  remains  to  be  done.     What  has  been  said  is 


162  .-/  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

not  to  make  you  content  and  satisfied,  but  rather 
to  inspire  new  zeal  and  fresh  courage,  that  each  one 
of  you  may  add  something^more  to  what  has  already 
been  accomplished.  You  can,  you  must,  and  we 
believe  you  will.  Do  not  falter  on  account  of  diffi- 
culties. Set  your  standard  high  and  go  to  it,  remem- 
bering that  labor,  coupled  with  a  strong  devotion  to 
integrity,  will  surely  conquer. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  163 

CHAPTER  XXXTV. 

SOME  NOTED  NEGROES. 

Hon.  Hiram  R.  Revels,  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, graduate  of  Knox  College,  111.,  A.  M.  E.  min- 
ister, President  of  Alcorn  University,  Mississippi, 
elected  to  the  State  Senate,  Mississippi,  was  the 
first  Negro  to  hold  the  position  of  U.  S.  Senator, 
elected  to  fill  the  place  of  Jefferson  Davis  in  1869, 
to  the  wonder  and  surprise  of  all  America. 

ROBERT    B.    ELLIOTT. 

On  the  pages  of  history  the  name  of  Hon.  Rob- 
ert B.  Elliott  shines  forth  with  lustre.  He  was 
one  of  earth's  sons,  plucked  too  soon  to  reap 
the  harvest  which  was  in  store  for  him.  This 
eloquent  orator  and  distinguished  lawyer  was  a 
graduate  from  an* English  college.  After  finishing 
there  he  studied  law  under  Fitz-Herbert,  of  the 
London  bar.  He  then  came  to  the  United  States, 
and  began  his  brilliant  and  successful  career.  It 
was  in  the  Forty-second  Congress,  while  a  repre- 
sentative of  South  Carolina,  that  he  impressed  him- 
self indelibly  upon  the  country  as  a  man  of  giant 
intellect    and    rare    oratorical    ability.     Alexander 


164  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Stephens  of  Georgia,  Beck  of  Kentucky,  Harris 
of  Virginia,  had  severely  assailed  the  constitution- 
ality of  the  Civil  Rights  Bill,  after  which  Mr. 
Elliott  arose  and  addressed  the  House  as  follows, 
an  effort  that  bespeaks  the  ability  of  the  man  : 
"  Mr.  Speaker,  while  I  am  sincerely  grateful  for  the 
high  mark  of  courtesy  that  has  been  accorded  me 
by  this  House,  it  is  a  matter  of  regret  to  me  that  it 
is  necessary  at  this  day  that  I  should  arise  in  the 
presence  of  an  American  Congress  to  advocate  a 
bill  which  simply  asserts  rights  and  equal  privileges 
for  all  classes  of  American  citizens.  I  regret,  sir, 
that  the  dark  hue  of  my  skin  ma}/  lend  a  color  to  the 
imputation  that  I  am  controlled  by  motives  personal 
to  myself  in  my  advocacy  of  this  great  measure  of 
natural  justice.  Sir,  the  motive  that  impels  me  is 
restricted  by  no  such  narrow  boundary,  but  is  as 
broad  as  your  Constitution.  I  advocate  it,  sir, 
because  it  is  right.  The  bill,  however,  not  only 
appeals  to  your  justice,  but  it  demands  a  response 
to  your  gratitude.  In  the  events  that  led  to  the 
achievement  of  American  independence  the  Negro 
was  not  an  inactive  or  unconcerned  spectator.  He 
bore  his  part  bravely  upon  man}/  battle-fields, 
although  uncheered  by  that  certain  hope  of  polit- 
ical elevation  which  victory  would  secure  to  the 
white  man.  The  tall  granite  shaft  which  a  grate- 
ful  State   has  reared   above   its   sons  who   fell   in 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  165 


Bishop  D.  A.  Payne. 


166  A  SCHOOL   HISTORY  OF  THE 

defending  Fort  Griswold  against  the  attack  of  Ben- 
edict Arnold,  bears  the  name  of  Jolm  Freeman  and 
others  of  the  African  race,  who  there  cemented  with 
their  blood  the  corner  stone  of  your  Republic.  In 
the  State  which  I  have  had  the  honor  in  part  to 
represent,  the  rifle  of  the  black  man  rang  out 
against  the  troops  of  the  British  crown  in  the  dark- 
est days  of  the  American  Revolution.  ""'  '^'  '•'  '^ 
The  Negro,  true  to  that  patriotism  that  has  ever 
characterized  and  marked  his  history,  came  to  the 
aid  of  the  Government  in  its  efforts  to  maintain  the 
Constitution.  To  that  Government  he  now  appeals  ; 
that  Constitution  he  now  invokes  for  protection 
against  unjust  prejudices  founded  upon  caste." 

Rev.  D.  A.  Payne,  D.D.,  LL.D.  was  the  most  noted 
bishop  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church,  also  its  true  and 
tried  friend.  He  was  a  great  educator,  and  liad  the 
Negro's  best  interests  at  heart ;  many  generous  and 
noble  deeds  he  did  for  liis  race  ;  he  was  the  scholar 
and  reverenced  father  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church. 

William  Wells  Brown  was  bom  of  slave  parents  ; 
he  escaped  to  the  North  and  so  improved  his  time 
from  then  on,  until  lie  was  known  to  the  world  as 
a  competent  physician  ;  a  historian  of  tlie  Negro 
race,  a  lecturer  and  an  author. 

Senalor  B.  K.  Bruce  is  another  son  of  the  Negro 
race.  Though  he  did  not  receive  his  privilege  as 
a  man  until  1865,  when  he  had  attained  to  the  age 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNTIED  STA  TES. 


167 


of  24,  the  intellectual  fires  then  burning  in  his  soul 
were  no  longer  smothered.  Though  a  Virginian, 
he  entered  into  public  life  in   Mississippi.      Much 


B.   K.   Bruce. 

useful  knowledge  he  gathered  wliile  sergeant-at- 
arms  of  the  State  Seriate  of  Mississippi,  which 
helped  him  to  admirably  fill  his  place  as  U.  S.  Sen- 
ator. It  was,  also,  his  honor  to  hold  the  position 
of  Register  of  the  U.  vS.  Treasury. 


168  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Rev.  J.  C.  Price,  D.  D.,  the  well-known  temperance 
orator  and  educator,  lives  in  the  hearts  of  many- 
people.  His  clear  and  distinct  voice,  fascinating 
manner  and  excellent  ability  to  handle  a  story, 
gave  him  a  hearty  welcome  in  every  place  to  which 
he  went.  He  was  the  first  colored  preacher  to 
stand  in  the  pulpit  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  With 
the  sympathy  and  love  of  a  parent  for  his  pupils, 
he  with  honor  held  until  his  death  the  position  of 
President  of  Livingston  College,  North  Carolina. 
He  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina. 

EDMONIA    LEWIS. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  by  the  diligent  use  of 
the  powers  God  gave  her,  has  done  much  to  demon- 
strate to  the  world  what  genius  exists  in  the  race 
she  represents.  Left  an  orphan  in  early  life,  she 
was  not  educated  according  to  her  desire,  but  was 
conscious  of  a  power  and  a  burning  zeal  to  make 
herself  felt  in  the  world. 

Her  first  visit  to  Boston  proved  the  turning  point 
in  her  life.  When  she  for  the  first  time  saw  the 
statue  of  Franklin  her  soul  was  touched.  While 
the  dull  stone  seemed  cold  to  others,  there  was  a 
chord  in  her  3^oung  soul  which  the  cold  lineaments 
played  upon,  and  she  exclaimed  exultingly,  "  I  can 
make  a  stone  man."     Wm.  Lloyd  Garrison,  always 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


ready  to  help  the  race,  introduced  her  to  a  leading 
Boston  sculptor.  He  gave  her  some  clay  and  a 
model  of  a  human   foot,  saying,   "Go   home   and 


J.    C.    Price. 

make  that ;  if  there  is  anything  in'you  it  will  come 
out."  Her  first  effort  was  brought  to  the  teacher, 
who  examined  it,  then  broke  it  to  pieces,  telling  her 
to  try   again.     She   did   so,  and   succeeded.     Her 


170  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

achievements  since  have  placed  her  among  the 
prominent  artists  of  the  world.  She  now  resides  at 
Rome,  where  her  studio  is  the  famed  resort  of  art- 
lovers  the  world  over.  Some  of  her  works  are, 
busts  of  Charles  Sumner,  Lincoln,  HiaM^atha's  Woo- 
ing, Forever  Free,  Hagar  in  the  Wilderness,  Ma- 
donna with  Infant  Christ,  and  two  Adoring  Angels. 
She  was  patronized  by  the  leading  Englishmen, 
such  as  D'Israeli,  and  others. 

Rev.  W.  J.  Simmons,  A.  M.,  D.  D.,  was,  beyond 
question,  one  of  the  strongest  characters  of  the 
race.  He  was  the  President  of  the  Normal  and 
Theological  Institute  at  Louisville,  Ky.  At  one 
time  he  was  editor  of  the  American  Baptist^  and  did 
a  telling  work  in  that  position  by  his  strong  edito- 
rials and  telling  points  in  behalf  of  the  interests  of 
the  race.  But  Dr.  Simmons  is  better  known  as  an 
educator.  He  took  charge  of  the  Institute  at  Louis- 
ville when  nothing  but  failure  seemed  to  stare  it  in 
the  face ;  and  from  an  appearance  of  hopeless  ruin 
he  worked  it  up  to  a  point  of  great  excellency.  It 
now  stands  as  one  of  the  most  important  factors  of 
Negro  education  in  the  South,  and  its  success  is 
due  to  the  indomitable  energy,  force,  and  brain  of 
Dr.  Simmons.  He  also  furnished  the  literature  of 
the  race  with  a  valuable  work  known  as  "  Men  of 
Mark."  In  it  you  will  be  pleased  to  read  elegant 
sketches  of  many  of  the  race's  best  men. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  171 

"  BlindTom,"  the  Negro  Musical  Prodigy,  isknown 
as  well  in  Europe  as  America.  His  correct  name 
is  Thomas  Bethnne.  He  was  born  May  25,  1849, 
at  Columbus,  Georgia.  When  a  babe  he  seemed 
totally  blind,  but  in  later  years  he  could  see  a  little. 


Blind  Tom. 

His  memory  of  dates,  persons  and  places  seems 
almost  perfect.  Shake  his  hand  to-day  and  speak 
to  him,  tell  your  name,  and  ten  years  after  he  will 
recall  your  voice  and  name.  He  is  uniformly  and 
studiously  polite,  and  entertains  the  highest  regard 
f  )r  truth  in  all  things.  At  four  years  of  age  he 
found  his  way  to  his  master's  piano  for  the  first 


172  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

time.  He  had  attempted  to  use  his  voice  in  imi- 
tating the  piano  and  other  sounds  before  this.  He 
imitated  all  the  sounds  he  knew  on  the  piano,  and 
when  his  supply  was  exhausted  he  began  to  com- 
pose for  himself.  He  would  play,  as  he  would 
remark,  "  what  the  windsaid^^''  or  the  "  birds  said^'' 
or  the  "  trees  saidy  When  five  years  old,  during 
a  thunder-storm,  he  composed  his  "  Rain  Storm^'' 
which  is  so  true  to  Nature  that  one  imagines,  on 
hearing  it,  that  he  can  hear  the  thunder  roar,  and 
"  looks  for  the  lightning  to  flash."  One  author 
says  of  him:  "I  can't  teach  him  anything;  he 
knows  more  of  music  than  we  know,  or  can  know. 
We  can  learn  all  that  great  genius  can  reduce  to 
rule  and  put  in  tangible  form;  he  knows  more  than 
that.  I  do  not  even  know  what  it  is;  but  I  feel  it 
is  something  beyond  my  comprehension.  All  that 
can  be  done  for  him  will  be  to  let  him  hear  fine 
playing ;  he  will  work  it  all  out  for  himself  after 
awhile." 

He  plays  the  most  difficult  classical  music  of 
Mendelssohn  and  Beethoven,  and  cannot  read  a 
note.  His  marches  include  "  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon," 
by  Peace  ;  "  Grand  March  de  Concert,"  by  Wallace. 
He  imitates  as  perfectly  as  if  natural,  "  Battle  of 
Manassas,"  "  Douglass'  Speech,"  guitar,  banjo, 
church  organ,  Dutch  woman  and  hand-organ,  a 
harp,  Scotch  bagpipe,  and  a  music-box — all  on  the 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  173 

piano.  His  equal,  if  it  ever  existed  in  the  world, 
has  not  been  known.  He  stands  out  as  a  phenom- 
enon, a  genius,  a  prodigy  in  black.  He  still  lives, 
and  is  constantly  improving  and  adding  to  his  large 
stock  of  musical  achievements. 

Toussainl  L'Ouverture. — It  is  supposed  that 
L'Ouverture  was  born  in  1743,  in  San  Domingo, 
on  "  All  Saints'  Day,"  from  which  he  was  named 
Toussaint.  The  name  L'Ouverture  (which  means 
the  conqueror)  was  given  him  after  he  had  won 
a  high  place  in  the  army  b}^  man}^  brilliant  con- 
quests. He  was  born  a  slave,  and  was  said  to  be 
a  direct  descendant  of  an  African  king.  He  was 
educated  by  his  god-father,  Pierre  Baptiste.  Later 
he  had  an  interesting  family,  and  was  as  happy  as  a 
slave  could  be.  He  believed  himself  destined  to 
lead  his  race  out  of  bondage.  Having  access  to  his 
master's  librar}^,  he  read  much  ;  and  it  is  recorded 
that  he  always  mastered  whatever  work  he  under- 
took to  study.  It  is  generally  conceded  b}^  his  ene- 
mies that  he  was  honest,  honorable  and  just.  On 
the  night  of  August  21,  1791,  the  revolution 
which  was  destined  to  free  the  blacks  of  Hayti  be- 
gan. It  was,  really,  the  culmination  of  a  series  of 
political  struggles  which  had  been  waged  with  fury 
between  the  government  of  France,  the  white  plant- 
ers, and  the  mulattoes  who  thought  that  they  were 
entitled  to  equal  political  privileges  with  the  whites. 


174  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

This  point  was  bitterly  contested  by  the  whites  of 
the  colony,  until  the  mulattoes  succeeded  in  incit- 
ing the  blacks  to  murder  and  pillage.  Toussaint 
took  no  part  in  the  murderous  proceedings  of  this 


Toussaint  L'Ouverture.     Too'saN' loo'ver'tlir'. 
'Soldier— Statesman— Martyr."—  Wendell  Phillips. 


night,  and  did  not  leave  the  plantation  until  he  had 
safely  provided  for  all  the  whites  thereon,  whom  he 
afterwards    had  conveyed    to  Baltimore.     He  was 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  175 

always  opposed  to  a  general  massacre  of  the  whites, 
and  throughout  his  career,  as  a  commander,  exerted 
his  influence  to  preserve  their  lives.  Upon  enter- 
ing military  life  his  promotion  was  rapid,  as  he  pos- 
sessed all  the  requisites  of  a  great  commander  and 
leader.  Having  risen  to  a  generalship,  because  of 
his  many  successes,  France  acknowledged  his  rank 
and  tendered  to  him  a  commission  as  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  armies  of  San  Domingo  in  1797. 
There  followed  three  j^ears  of  unparalleled  pros- 
perity, during  which  time  L'Ouverture's  ability  as 
a  statesman  and  ruler  was  shown  to  great  advan- 
tage. Napoleon,  however,  became  jealous  of  L'Ou- 
verture's power,  and  the  old  troubles  in  Hayti  being 
renewed,  they  declared  their  independence  in  1801. 
Napoleon  sent  large  armies  to  the  island,  but  they 
all  failed  to  conquer  the  brave  band  of  blacks  under 
their  indomitable  leader,  Toussaint.  Finally,  they 
resorted  to  stratagem.  They  pretended  to  make 
peace,  after  which  Toussaint  was  invited  on  one  oc- 
.casion  to  dine  on  board  a  French  man-of  war,  and 
there  he  was  captured,  sent  to  France,  confined  in 
a  dark,  damp  dungeon,  and  allowed  to  die  of  hun- 
ger. He  died  in  1803,  heroically  proclaiming  that 
though  the  French  might  murder  him,  the  tree  of 
libert}^  would  still  grow  in  San  Domingo;  how  un- 
like Napoleon,  the  author  of  Toussaint's  torture, 
who  ended  his  existence  in  writhing  and  fretting  on 


176  A  SCHOOL   HISTORY  OF  THE 

the  island  of  St.  Helena,  in  similar  confinement,  a 
just  retribution,  it  seems,  in  atonement  for  the  wrong 
he  had  done  L'Ouverture! 

"  His  life  lay  in  thought  and  in  action  rather  than 
in  words.  Self-contained,  he  was  also  self-sufficing. 
Though  he  disdained  not  the  advice  of  others,  he 
was,  in  the  main,  his  own  council-board.  With  an 
intense  concentration  of  vitality  in  his  own  soul,  he 
threw  into  his  outer  life  a  power  and  an  energy 
which  armed  one  man  with  the  power  of  thousands, 
and  made  him  great  alike  in  command  of  others 
and  in  command  of  himself.  He  seemed  created 
for  government  by  the  hand  of  Providence.  That 
strength  of  soul  and  self-reliance  which  made  him 
fit  to  rule,  also  gave  him  subjects  for  his  sway. 
Hence  it  was,  that  he  could  not  remain  in  the  herd 
of  his  fellow-slaves.  Rise  he  must,  and  rise  he  did ; 
first  to  humble  ofiices,  then  to  the  command  of  a 
regiment,  and  then  to  the  command  of  the  armies 
of  San  Domingo." 

EXTRACT  FROM  AN   ADDRESS    ON   TOUSSAINT   L'OUVER- 
TURE BY  WENDELL  PHILLIPS,  i860. 

"Some  doubt  the  Courage  of  the  Negro.  Go  to  50,000  graves  of 
the  best  soldiers  France  ever  had  and  ask  them  what  they  think  of 
the  Negro's  sword.  And  if  that  does  not  satisfy  you,  go  to  France 
to  the  splendid  mausoleum  of  the  Counts  of  Rochambeau,  and  to 
the  8,000  graves  of  Frenchmen  who  skulked  home  under  the  English 
flag,  and  ask  them.  And  if  that  does  not  satisfy  you,  come  home, 
and  if  it  had  been  October,  1859,  you  might  have  come  by  way  of 
quaking  Virginia,  and  ask  her  what  she  thought  of  Negro  courage. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  177 

You  also  remember  this,  that  we  Saxons  were  slaves  about  four 
hundred  years,  sold  with  the  land,  and  our  fathers  never  raised  a 
finger  to  end  that  slavery.  They  waited  till  Christianity  and  civiliza- 
tion, till  commerce  and  the  discovery  of  America,  melted  away  their 
chains.  Spartacus  in  Italy  led  the  slaves  of  Rome  against  the 
Empress  of  the  world.  She  murdered  him  and  crucified  them.  There 
never  was  a  slave  rebellion  successful  but  once,  and  that  was  in  St. 
Domingo.  Every  race  has  been,  some  time  or  other,  in  chains.  But 
there  never  was  a  race  that,  weakened  and  degraded  by  such  chattel 
slavery,  unaided,  tore  off  its  own  fetters,  forged  them  into  swords, 
and  won  its  liberty  on  the  battle-field,  but  one,  and  that  was  the 
black  race  of  St.  Domingo.  God  grant  that  the  wise  vigor  of  our 
Government  may  avert  that  necessity  from  our  land  ;  may  raise  into 
peaceful  liberty  the  four  million  committed  to  our  care,  and  show, 
under  democratic  institutions,  a  statesmanship  as  far-sighted  as  that 
of  England,  as  brave  as  the  Negro  of  Hayti  ! 

So  much  for  the  courage  of  the  Negro.  Now  look  at  his  endu- 
rance. In  1S03,  he  said  to  the  while  men:  "This  island  is  ours; 
not  a  white  foot  shall  touch  it."  Side  by  side  with  him  stood  the 
South  American  Republics,  planted  by  the  best  blood  of  the  coun- 
trymen of  Lope  de  Vega  and  Cervantes.  They  topple  over  so  often 
that  you  could  no  more  daguerreotype  their  crumbling  fragments 
than  you  could  the  waves  of  the  ocean.  And  yet,  at  their  side,  the 
Negro  has  kept  his  island  sacredly  to  himself  It  is  said  that,  at  first, 
with  rare  patriotism,  the  Haytien  Government  ordered  the  destruc- 
tion of  all  the  sugar  plantations  remaining,  and  discouraged  its  cul- 
ture, deeming  that  the  temptation  which  lured  the  French  back 
again  to  attempt  their  enslavement.  Burn  over  New  York  to-night, 
fill  up  -her  canals,  sink  every  ship,  destroy  her  railroads,  blot  out 
every  remnant  of  education  from  her  sons,  let  her  be  penniless, 
with  nothing  but  her  hands  to  begin  the  world  again— how  much 
could  she  do  in  sixty  years?  And  Europe,  too,  would  lend  her 
money,  butshe  will  not  lend  Hayti  a  dollar.  Hayti,  from  the  ruins 
of  her  colonial  dependence,  is  become  a  civilized  State,  the  seventh 
nation  in  the  catalogue  of  commerce,  with  this  country,  inferior  in 
morals  and  education  to  none  of  the  West  Indian  Isles.  Foreign 
merchants  trust  her  courts  as  willingly  as  they  do  our  own.  Thus 
far  she  has  foiled  the  ambition  of  Spain,  the  greed  of  England,  and 


178  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

the  statesmanship  of  Calhoun.  Toussaint  made  her  what  she  is.  In 
this  work,  there  was  grouped  around  him  a  score  of  men,  mostly  of 
pure  Negro  blood,  who  ably  seconded  his  efforts.  They  were  able  in 
war,  and  skilful  in  civil  affairs,  but,  not  like  him,  remarkable  for  that 
rare  mingling  of  high  qualities  which,  alone  makes  true  greatness 
and  insures  to  one  leadership  among  men,  otherwise  almost  his 
equals.  Tous.saint  was  indisputably  their  chief.  Courage,  purpose, 
endurance — these  are  the  tests.  He  did  plant  a  State  so  deep  that 
all  the  world  has  not  been  able  to  root  it  up. 

I  would  call  him  Napoleon,  but  Napoleon  made  his  way  to  empire 
over  broken  oaths  and  through  a  sea  of  blood.  This  man  never 
broke  his  word.  "No  Retaliation"  was  his  great  motto  and  the 
rule  of  his  life  ;  and  the  last  words  uttered  to  his  son  in  France  were 
these  :  "  My  boy,  you  will  one  day  go  back  to  St.  Domingo  ;  forget 
that  France  murdered  your  father."  I  would  call  him  Cromwell,  but 
Cromwell  was  only  a  soldier,  and  the  State  he  founded  went  down 
with  him  into  his  grave.  I  would  call  him  Washington,  but  the 
great  Virginian  held  slaves.  This  man  risked  his  empire  rather  than 
permit  the  slave  trade  in  the  humblest  village  of  his  dominions. 

You  think  me  a  fanatic  to-night,  for  you  read  history,  not  with 
your  eyes  but  with  your  prejudices.  But  fifty  years  hence,  when 
truth  gets  a  hearing,  the  Muse  of  History  will  put  Phocion  for  Greek, 
and  Brutus  for  the  Roman,  Hampden  for  England,  Fayette  for 
France,  choose  Washington  as  the  bright  consummate  flower  of  our 
earlier  civilization,  and  Fremont  the  ripe  fruit  of  our  noon-day — 
then  dipping  her  pen  in  the  sunlight,  will  write  in  the  clear  blue 
above  them  all  the  name  of  the  soldier,  the  statesman,  the  martyr, 
Toussaint  L'Ouverture." 

"Sleep  calmly  in  thy  dungeon  tomb, 

Beneath  Besancon's  alien  sky. 
Dark  Haytien  ! — for  the  time  shall  come, 

Yea,  even  now  is  nigh — 
When,  everywhere,  thy  name  shall  be 

Redeemed  from  Color^s  infamy  : 
And  men  shall  learn  to  speak  of  thee. 
As  one  of  earth's  great  spirits,  born 
In  servitude,  and  nursed  in  scorn, 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  \'i 

Casting  aside  the  weary  weight 
And  fetters  of  its  low  estate, 
In  that  strong  majesty  of  soul 
Which  knows  no  color,  tongue  or  clime, 
Which  still  have  spurned  the  base  control 
Of  tyrants  through  all  time  !  " 

John  G.  Whittier. 


180  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

CONCLUSION. 

Up  to  the  present  time  the  Negro  has  been  a  suc- 
cess in  every  avenue  of  life.  As  a  soldier  and  citi- 
zen, he  has  always  been  faithful  to  his  country's 
flag.  He  has  filled  successfully  many  honorable 
positions,  from  that  of  town  constable  to  the  Regis- 
try of  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States,  and  the 
United  States  Senatorship  ;  he  has  been  a  legisla- 
tor. State  and  National,  a  judge,  a  lawyer,  a  juror, 
a  successful  business  man,  and  has  won  honor, 
respect  and  confidence  in  every  such  position,  and 
all  this  in  thirty  years.  Almost  every  conceivable 
hindrance  has  been  overcome,  and  he  continues  to 
rise  in  the  scale  of  advancement,  not  by  efforts  of 
disparagement  of  others,  but  by  encouraging  to 
give  and  receive,  and  to  help  as  will  best  promote 
the  elevation  of  his  race. 

It  is  an  erroneous  view  of  education  which 
assumes  that  books  and  schools,  useful  as  they  are, 
do  the  whole  work.  The  child  is  educated  by  what 
he  sees,  hears  and  does.     The  educating  value  of 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  181 

work  has  never  been  fully  appreciated.  Labor 
compels  one  to  think,  it  awakens  consciousness  and 
self-reliance,  and  develops  mental  power.  It  is  very 
often  the  case  that  a  degree  of  foresight,  practical 
wisdom,  and  executive  ability  are  shown  in  the 
management  of  commercial  or  agricultural  inter- 
ests. Every  child's  education  is  deficient  who  has 
not  learned  to  work  in  some  useful  form  of  indus- 
try. Labor  aids  in  disciplining  the  intellect  and 
energizing  the  character.  Especially  does  farm 
work  task  and  test  the  mind  by  leading  a  boy  to 
plan  and  contrive,  and  to  adapt  means  to  ends  in  a 
great  variety  of  ways.  The  necessities  and  strug- 
gles of  the  farm  demand  patience  and  persever- 
ance, develop  force  of  character  and  energy  of  will, 
and  teach  the  needful  lesson  that  "  Where  there  is 
a  will  there  is  a  way." 

How  many  of  the  leading  men  of  our  country, 
like  Washington,  Clay  and  Lincoln,  grew  up  on  a 
farm,  and  gained  the  invaluable  discipline  for  the 
conflicts  of  life. 

The  business  of  the  farmer  varies  with  the  sea- 
sons, and,  as  is  often  the  case,  he  is  remote  from 
villages,  and  his  inventive  genius  makes  him  a  car- 


182  A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE 

penter  or  blacksmith — a  man-of-all-work,  "  handy 
at  anythiug." 

With  all  our  improved  gymnastics  none  is  better 
than  manual  labor,  when  it  is  intelligently  directed 
and  cheerfully  performed,  and  especially  farm  work. 

Studying  nature  in  any  one  or  more  of  its  varied 
forms,  each  so  fitted  as  to  charm  children,  refreshes 
their  minds  as  well  as  recreates  their  bodies,  and 
stimulates  that  curiosity  which  is  the  parent  of 
interest  and  memory. 

Nature,  being  the  great  teacher  of  childhood,  may 
we  not  suggest,  at  least,  that  this  daily  contact  of 
the  Negro  child  with  facts  and  objects  which  sur- 
round him  have  been  the  instrument  for  his  devel- 
opment, and  of  his  continued  progress  ;  the  very 
stimulus,  however  unconscious  it  may  have  been, 
of  his  future  ambition  and  possibilities. 

Industry  is  essential  to  thrift  and  virtue,  to  the 
culture  of  mental  and  moral  nature.  Men  of  mark 
are  men  of  work.  In  whatever  land  man  can  sub- 
sist in  indolence,  he  droops  in  intellect.  Man  rises 
in  the  scale  where  his  necessities  compel  constant 
industry,  which  not  only  supplies  necessities  but 
stimulates  demands  above  absolute  wants. 


NEGRO  RACE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  183 

A  scholar,  thinker  and  worker  once  said  :  "  The 
fine  arts  do  not  interest  me  so  much  as  the  coarse 
arts,  which  feed,  clothe,  house  and  comfort  a  people. 
I  should  rather  be  a  great  man  as  Franklin  than  a 
Michael  Angelo  ;  nay,  if  I  had  a  son  I  should  rather 
see  him  a  mechanic  who  organized  use  than  a  great 
painter  who  only  copied  beauty." 

And,  for  further  encouragement,  it  will  not  be 
out  of  place  to  add  that  an  able  minister  said  :  "  It 
is  not  work  but  worry  that  kills  men.  Work  is 
healthy.  ^  You  can  hardly  put  more  on  a  man  than 
he  can  bear.  It  is  not  the  revolution  that  destroys 
the  machiner}^,  but  the  friction." 

Increased  effort  and  energ}-  of  mind  must  be  bal- 
anced by  proper  activit}^  of  the  body.  The  mind 
was  made  for  work.  It  can  gain  strength  only  by 
spending  it.  Grumblers  make  poor  scholars,  and 
the  curse  of  Heaven  rests  on  laziness. 

The  colored  man  should,  therefore,  take  encour- 
agement, keeping  in  mind  that,  "  He  that  is  sloth- 
ful in  his  work  is  brother  to  him  that  is  a  greater 
waster,"  and  "  Be  of  good  cheer,"  which  is  a  wise 
prescription. 


184       A  SCHOOL  HISTORY  OF  THE  NEGRO  RACE. 


BE  TRUE. 

"  Be  true  to  right  :  let  justice  still 

Her  even  balance  claim  ; 
Unawed,  unbribed,  through  good  or  ill, 
Make  rectitude  your  aim." 

"  Be  true  to  truth  :  the  proudest  name 

That  sterling  worth  may  win 
Is  soiled  and  tarnished  past  reclaim 
Where  falsehood  enters  in." 

"  Be  true  to  reason  :  let  her  light 

Be  ever  glorified, 
And  make  through  life  her  beacon  bright 
A  fixed,  enduring  guide." 

"  Be  true  to  self-respect  :  the  world 

May  judge  thy  motives  wrong, 
And  slander's  poisoned  shafts  be^hurled 

Where  virtue  moves  along." 

"These  are  the  virtues,  these  the  ways 

That  bring  their  own  reward  ; 
And  to  observe  them  all  thji-'days 

Keep  constant  watch  and  guard. 
He  who  from  these  his  guidance  takes 
Gives  to  the  race  the  hope  that  makes 

The  march  of  man  sublime  ; 
And  each  good  deed,  each  wrong  withstood, 
Lives  in  its  influence  for  the  good, 

Throughout  all  coming  time  !" 


INDEX 


Abolitionism,  growth  of,  8i,  82 
Abolitionists, opposition  to' Northern,  100 

work  of  the,  81,  82 
African  cities,  ancient,  S,  9  \ 
Africans,   native,  present  condition  of 

racial  traits  of,  10,  11 
Africa- American  Presbyterian,  153 
Allen,  Rev.  Richard,  148 
Almanac,  Banneka's,  36 — 39 
Amendment,  Constitutional,  thirteenth, 
140 
fifteenth,  141 
A.  M.  E.  Review,  148 
Amistad  Captives,  the  96 
Anti-slavery  agitation,  99—101 
books,  84' 
conventions,  82,  83 
"  Anti-slavery   Free   Women   of  Amer- 
ica," 83 
Armistead,  James,  72 
Army,  colonial,  slaves  in  the,  60,  61 
compensation  for,  63 
(See  Soldiers,  Troops.) 
Ashmun,  Jehudi,  89 

Association,  Missionary,  American,  150 
Asylum,  Colored  Orphans',  burning  of, 

115 
Attucks,  Crispus,  patriotism  of,  66,  67 

Bank,  Freedmen's  Savings,  160 
Banks,  General,  on  the  conduct  of  Ne- 
gro troops,  113 
Banneka,    Benjamin,     attainments  of, 
death  of,  39 
Jefferson's  letter  to,  38 
Robert,  36 
Baptists,  colored,  extent  of,  149 
Battle  of  Bull  Run,  104 
of  Bunker's  Hill,  incident  of,  67 
Negro's  heroism  at,  67,  6S 
Peter  Salem  at,  68 
of  Milliken's  Bend,  Negro  troops  at, 113 
of  New  Orleans,  cotton  breastworks  at 

the,  77 
of  Petersburg,  Negro  troops  at,  121-129 
of  Port  Hudson,  Negro  troops  at,  iio- 

113 
of  the  Wilderness,  Negro  troops  at,  120 
Bethune,  Thomas  ("Blind  Tom"),  171 
Bill,  Civil  Rights,  141.  164 
"Black  Brigade,"  Hinks',  122 
"  Blind  Tom,"  171 
Brown,  John,  insurrection  of,  100 

William  Wells,  166 
Bruce,  Senator  B.  K.,  166 
Bunker  Hill,  incident  of  battle,  67 


1    Bureau,  Freedmen's,  design  of,  141 

Burnside,  Genl.,  at  Petersburg,  126,  128 
j  Butler,  B.  F.,  opposition  to  Negro  enlist- 
!  ment,  105 

j   Callioux,  Capt.  Andre,  ni 
'   Canaanites,  the,  12,  13 
Carej',  Lott,  S9 

Carney,  Sergeant,  heroism  of  117 
Charlton,  Samuel,  bravery  of  72 
j    Chauncey,  Com.,  retort  to  Capt.  Perry, ,78 

Chavers,  Rev.  John.  44-46 
I    Children,  school,  colored,  numberof,  157 
Christian  Recorder,  148 
Church.  A.  M.  E..  influence  of,  148 
Ziou,  149 
Baptist,  founded,  149 

influence  of  the,  149 
Methodist  Episcopal,  150 
j       Presbj'terian,  152 
Episcopalian,  152 
I       Christiaa  church,  152 

Churches,  colored,  property  owned  by, 
:  161 

Cinquez,  Joseph,  96 
Cities,  ancient  African,  S,  9 
Civil  Rights  Bill,  164 
"Cockade  City,"  121 
College,  Livingston,  150 
Clarke,  Alex,  90 

Colonies,  slavery  in  the  beginning  of,  19 
dates  of  introduction,  57 
Southern,  habits  and  customs  of,  55 
Colonists,    Southern,    habits    and    cus- 
toms, 55 
Colored  schools  in  the  South,  154,  155 
j    Convention,   Anti-slavery,   National,  82 
of  free  colored  people,  83 
Cotton  plantations,  Georgia,  50 
!   Crandall,    Prudence,    Negro    school  of, 
I  32-34 

I   Crater,  the,  at  Petersburg,  125 
!   Curtis,  Thomas  J.,  46 

Dabney's  CLOTHES-LiNEtelegraph,  130, 

131 
Davis,  Jefferson,  capture  of,  138  (n) 

John,  bravery  of,  77 
Deeds  of  daring,  Negro,  66,  71,  72 
Disfranchisement  of  the  Southern  Ne- 
gro, 140 
Dismal  Swamp,  slave  property  in,  95 
Dodge,  Caleb,  slave  test-suit  of,  27 
Douglass,  Frederick,  biography  of,  wri- 
tings of,  85-8S 


186 


INDEX. 


Dunmore,  Lord,  enlistment  of  Negroes 

by,  5S 
Dunn's  house,  Negro  corps  at,  123 

Education,  Negro  in  the  South,  154-160 

self-help  in,  of  Southern  Negroes,  156 
Elliott,  Robert  B.  (orator),  163 
Emancipation  for  military  service,  63 

in  Virginia,  72 

of  New  England  slaves,  26,  27 

Proclamations,  108 
Enlistment  (see  Soldiers,  Troops). 
Explosion,  mine,  at  Petersburg,  125 

Families,   Southern,    habits  and  cus- 
toms, 55. 
Fisk  Jubilee  Singers,  157 
Fort,  Blount's,  refugees  in,  50-54 

Griswold,  incident  at,  72 

Groton,  incident  at,  71 

Pillow.  Negro  troops  at,  118. 

Sumter,  capture  of,  104 

Wagner,  Negro  troops  at,  115 
Forten,  James,  82 

Miss  Sarah  (poetess).  83 
Freedmen's  Bureau,  design  of,  141 

Savings  Bank,  160 
Freedom,  Negro,  efforts  for,  81,  96,  97 
Freeman,  John,  heroism  of,  72 
Friends,  the,  opposition  to  slavery,  41 
Fugitive  slave  law,  100 
Fugitives  (see  Slaves). 
Fuller,  Thomas,  22 

Garnet,  H.  H.,  90 
Garrison,  William  Lloyd,  82,  168 
Genius  ofEmavcipation,  The,  82 
Government,   Provisional,  first,  at  the 

South,  140 
Grant,  Genl.,  at  Petersburg,  127,  12S 

Habits  and  Customs  of  Southern  colo- 
nists, 55 
Hall,  Primus,  incident  of,  68 
Ham,  descendants  of,  13 
Hamilton.  Alexander,  letter  of,  60 
Harris,  Sarah,  33 
Haygood,  Bishop,  17,  18 
Heath,  Corporal,  bravery  of,  112 
Heroes,  Negro,  22 

of  the  Civil  War,  in,  112,  133 

of  the  Revolution,  65 
Holbrook,  Felix,  petition  of,  27 
Hopkins,  M.  A.,  90 
Horton,  George  M.  (poet),  43 
Howard,  Genl.  O.  O  ,  142 
Hunter,    Genl.,   enlistment  of  Negroes 
by,  105 

Incidents,  66,  70,  130-136 
Institute,  Louisville,  170 
Insurrection,  John  Brown's,  100 

Nat  Turner's,  90-94 
Jamestown,  Negroes  at,  first,  19 
Jeffreys,  Major;  bravery  and  treatment 
of,  79 


Johnson,  John,  bravery  of,  78 
Jones,  James  H.,  13S 
Journal  of  the  Twies,  82 
Jubilee  Singers,  Fisk,  157 

Kosciusko's  aid  for  the  education   of 
colored  children,  74 

Labor,  slave,  in  South  Carolina,  47 
La  Fayette,  Genl.,  anti-slavery  ideas  of, 

^  73,  74 

Latham,    Samuel,    braverj'   and    death 
of,  71 

Laurens,  Col.,  death  of,  64 
enlistment  of  Negroes  by,  60-64 

Law,  slave,  fugitive,  100 

Lee,  Genl.,  surrender  at  Appomattox, 
128 

Lewis,  Edmonia  (artist),  168 

Liberator,   The,  82 

Liberia,  colonization  of,  89-90 

Lincoln,  Abraham,   election  of,   100,  loi 
proclamation  for  volunteers  of,  104 
Proclamation,  Emancipation,  108 
opposition  of,  to  colored  troops,  104-10S 
review  of  colored  troops  by,  119 

L'Ouverture,  Toussaint,  173 

Loomis,  Lieut.,  attack  and  capture  of 
Blount's  fort  by,  52-54 

Lundy,  Benjamin  (abolitionist),  81 

Maroons,  the  Virginia,  95 

Massacre,   Boston,  Crispus  Attucks  at, 

66,  67 
McClellan,  Genl.,  106 
Milliken's  Bend,  Negro  troops  at,  113 
Music,  Negro,  157 
originality  of,  84 
"  My  Bondage  and  My  Freedom,"  84 


National  Reformer,  The,  84 
Navy,  Negroes  in  the,  of  1S12,  77 
Negro,  the,  freed,  ostracization  of,  145,146 
origin  of,  7-13 

writings  on,  quotations  from,  9 
Negro  education  in  the  South,  154 
heroes,  22,  65,  72 
refugees,  Blount's  Fort,  50 

massacre  of,  53 
soldiers,  conduct  of,  109 
employment  of,  109 
enlistment  of,  105 
opposition  to  the,  105 
first  regiment  of,  115 
troops  at  Petersburg,  121 
in  Virginia,  119 
Negroes,  Americati,  ancestors  of,  7-1S 
Colonial,  e*ilistment  of,  60-64 
British,  58,  68 
Hamilton's  letter  on,  60 
objections  to  the,  58 
Washington's  letter,  63,  64 
enlistment  of,  war  of  the  Rebellion,  104 
re-enslavement  of,  after  the  Revolu- 
tion, 75 
some  noted,  163,  179 


INDEX. 


Nelson's  colored  troops  at  Port  Hudson, 

110-113 
Kew  London,  Conn.,  capture  of,  71 
Noah,  curse  of,  not  divine,  12-13 

sons  of,  13 
Noble,  Jordan  (veteran  soldier),  80 

Pastorious,,  Francis  Daniel,  41 
Payne  Rev   D.  A.  (bishop),  165 
Petin,  William,  41 
Perry,  Capt.,  retort  of  Com.  Chauacey 

to,  7S 
Petersburg-,  attack  of  Negro  troops  in, 

121-124 
Phelps,  Genl.,  105 
Planciancois,    Anselmas,     bravery    of, 

III,  112 
"  Planter,"  the  surrender  of,  134-136 
Plantations,  cotton,  Georgia,  49 
Population,  Negro,  in  1850,  99,  and  i860, 
103, 
at  the  present  time,  157 
Port  Hudson,  Negro  soldiers  at.  110-113 
Presbyterians,  educational  work  of,  153 
Price.  Dr.  J.  C.  (orator),  169 
Proclamations,  emancipation,  104 
Progress  from  slavery  to  freedom,  15. 

of  Negro  culture,  142,  151 

educational,  154,  157 

financial,  160-162 

musical,  157 

religious,  147-153 
Prophecy,  Noah's,  not  divine,  12 
Providence  in  the  Negro  problem,  17 

Quakers,  Penna.,  abolitionism  of,  81 

Race,  colored,  progress  of,  since  free- 
dom, 143-146 
Races,  primitive,  progenitors  of,  9 

colors  of,  13 
Railroad,  underground,  the,  102 

civil  war,  104 
Reconstruction   of  Southern  States,  140 

rebel  Southern  view  of,  133 
Refugees,  Negro.  Georgia,  50-51 
Regiment,  first  colored,  115 
Revels,  Hon.  Hiram,  163 
Revolution,  American,  Negro  heroes  of, 
65-68 
soldiers  of,  58,  65,  67 
Richmond,  siege  and  fall  of,  129 
Riot,  draft.  New  York,  115 

Negro,  in  New  York  (1712),  25 

slave  (174S),  in  South  Carolina,  47 

Salem,  Peter,  bravery  of  67 

School,  colored,  first,  in  New  England, 32 

Schoolchildren,  number  of,  157 

teachers,  colored,  number  of,  157 
Schools,  colored,  establishment  of,  141 

Southern,   educational  expense,  156 

expenditure  on,  155 
Seminary,  Scotia,  153 
Senator,"u.  S.,  first  Negro,  163 
Serfdom,  15 
Sewall,  judge  Samuel,  27 


Sheldon,  Mrs.  Frank,  7,  11 
Simmons.  Rev.  W.  J.  (educator),  170 
Singers,  Jubilee,  Fisk,  157 
Slave  and   master,    affection    between, 
144.  145 
law,  fugitive,  100 
population  in  1850,  99 
in  i860,  103 
Slavery  existed  by  custom  (see  Negro), 
14 
general  view  of  in  the  world  ;  always 
existed   in  some  form  in   Greece 
and  Rome,  14 
in  Connecticut,  introduction  of,  32 
in  Delaware,  41 
in  Georgia,  49 
in  Jamestown,  Va.,  19 
in  Maryland,  35 

in  Massachusetts,  existence  of,  26 
in  New  Hampshire,  introduction  of,  35 
in  New  Jersey,  introduction  of,  52 
in  New  York  colony,  25 
in  North  Carolina,  42 
in  Pennsylvania,  41 
in  Rhode  Island,  introduction  of,  26 
in  South  Carolina,  47 
in  Virginia,  introduction  of,  19 
Slaves,  American,  ancestors  of,   21 

condition,    19,  20,  21,  25,  26,  35,  42,  47 
Slave  trade,  beginning  of,  abolition  of, 

14-16 
Slaves,  colonial,  compensation  of  mas- 
ter for  enlisted,  63 
emancipation  of,    for  military  ser- 
vice, 63 
emancipation  of,  in  Massachusetts,  27 

in  Virginia,  72 
faithfulness  of  during  civil  war,  138 
freed,    condition  of,   at    close    of  the 

Civil  War,  145 
fugitive,  100 
enlistment  of,   104-109 
at  Blount's  Fort,  50-54 
importation  of,  in  America,  20 
introduction  of,  ig 
runaway,  in  South  Carolina.  47 
white,  in  Maryland,  36 
New  F;ngland,  emancipation  of,  27 
Small,  Hon.  Robert,  134 
Smith,  Geul.,  at  Petersburg,  123 
Gov.  John,  edict  of,  22 
Prof  E.  E.,  90 
Societies,    anti-slavery,     formation    of, 
number  in  1836,  82,  83 
Northern,  for  the  education  of  South- 
ern Negroes,  150-151 
Society,  colonization,  American,  89 
Soldiers,  Negro,  colonial,  compensation 
of  63 
enlistment  of,  64,  76,  77 
in  Revolutionary  times,  48,   65 
in  181 2,  Jackson's  address  to,  76 
of  the  Civil  War,  conduct  of,  109,  no 
first  regiment  of,  115 
prejudice  to,  104 

public  sentiment  against,  104,  105 
change  of,  117 


INDEX. 


Soldiers,  Negro,  Stevens'  bill  to  enlist, 
1 06 

Smythe,  J.  H.,  90 

Staines,  "William,  bravery  of,  133 

Stanton,  encomium  of,  on  Negro  troops, 
124 

Star  of  Zion,   The,  150 

States,  admission  as  free  or  slave,  agi- 
tation, TOO 
Southern,  reconstruction  of,  140 

Stowe,  Harriet  Beecher,  84 

Suffrage,  universal,   effect  of  Southern , 
140-141 

Sumner,  Charles,  99 

Tappan,  Arthur,  82 

Lewis.  97 
Taylor,  C.  H.  J.,  90 
Teachers,  colored  school,  number,  157 
Telegraph,  clothes-line,  Dabney's,  130- 

133 
Troops,  Negro,  as  soldiers,  106 

bravery  of,  124 

first  regiment  of  115 

pay  of  the,  107 
Troops.  Negro,  Colonial  (see  Soldiers) 

at  Fort  Pillow,  u8 

at  Milliken's  Bend,  113 

at  Petersburg,  121- 124 

at  Port  Hudson,  no 

at  the  Wilderness,  120 

in  Confederate  army,  104 

in  ITnion  army,  107,  137 

in  Virginia  campaign,  119 
(see  Army,  Soldiers.) 
Tupper.  Dr.  H   M.,  155 
Turner,  Nathaniel,  execution  of,  93 


Turner,  Nathaniel,  insurrection  of,  91-92 

"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  84 
Underground  railroad,  100 

work  of  the,  102 
University,  Alcorn,  163 

Biddle,  153 

Lincoln,   153 

Selma,  151 

Shaw,  151,  155 

Wilberforce,  148 

Virginia  Calculator,  the,  22 

War,  Civil,  American,  104 
Mexican,  outbreak  of  the,  81 
of  1812,  75 
enlistment  of  free  Negroes  for,  75,  76 
Negroes  in  the  navy  of,  77 
of  the  Civil  War,  104 

incidents  of,  130 
Revolutionary,  end  of  the,  72 
Negroes  in  the,  65-72 
Washington,  George,  freedom  of  slaves 
by,  73 
incidents  of,  69 
Madison,  freedom  of,  94 
Watkins,  Avery  (preacher),  94 

Frances,  Ellen,  39,  40 
Webster,  Daniel,  99 
Welsh,  Molly,  36 
Wheatley,  Phillis,  culture  of,  28 
death  of,  32 

Washington, s  letter  to,  30 
Whitfield,  George,  49  («) 
Williams,  George  W.  (author),  i»9 
Roger,  148 


This  book  is  due  at  the  LOUIS  R.  WILSON  I  IRR  a  d  v        u 
last  date  stamped  under  "Date  Due  "If  not  on  hnM,    °"  'u' 
renewed  by  bringing  it  to  the  l.brary.  °"  '°"  '^  ""''  *'^ 


